Abstract
Background:
Measuring the glucose concentration in whole blood samples is critical due to unsatisfactory glycolysis inhibition. Previous studies showed that Terumo tubes were superior, but they were taken off the European market in 2016 and alternatives were required. This initiated the present evaluation of glucose stability in five available tube types.
Methods:
Venous blood samples were collected from 61 healthy volunteers to test tubes supplied by Terumo (two sets), Greiner FC-Mix, BD FX-Mixture and BD serum. After sampling, the contents were thoroughly mixed and centrifuged within an hour. The glucose concentrations were determined and the samples resuspended except for BD serum tubes (gel barrier). The first 30 samples were stored at room temperature and the remaining 31 at 4°C. After 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, all tubes were (re)centrifuged, and glucose concentration measurements were repeated.
Results:
Changes in glucose concentrations over time differed significantly between the investigated tube types and to a certain extent between the two storing conditions. Glycolysis was most evident in the BD FX-mixture tubes. Good glucose stability was observed in samples retrieved form BD serum and Greiner tubes. The stability in both Terumo tubes was comparable to that in other studies. Although Greiner and both Terumo tubes are supposed to contain the same glycolysis inhibitor, glucose stability differed between these tubes.
Conclusions:
We showed that Greiner is an acceptable alternative to Terumo and that glucose in serum that was rapidly separated from corpuscles by a gel barrier is stable for an extended time.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
References
1. Sacks DB, Arnold M, Bakris GL, Bruns DE, Horvath AR, Kirkman MS, et al. Guidelines and recommendations for laboratory analysis in the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus. Clin Chem 2011;57:e1–47.10.1373/clinchem.2010.161596Search in Google Scholar
2. Bowen RA, Remaley AT. Interferences from blood collection tube components on clinical chemistry assays. Biochemia Med 2014;24:31–44.10.11613/BM.2014.006Search in Google Scholar
3. Gambino R, Piscitelli J, Ackattupathil TA, Theriault JL, Andrin RD, Sanfilippo ML, et al. Acidification of blood is superior to sodium fluoride alone as an inhibitor of glycolysis. Clin Chem 2009;55:1019–21.10.1373/clinchem.2008.121707Search in Google Scholar
4. Gambino R. Sodium fluoride: an ineffective inhibitor of glycolysis. Ann Clin Biochem 2013;50(Pt 1):3–5.10.1258/acb.2012.012135Search in Google Scholar
5. Turchiano M, Nguyen C, Fierman A, Lifshitz M, Convit A. Impact of blood sample collection and processing methods on glucose levels in community outreach studies. J Environ Public Health 2013;2013:256151.10.1155/2013/256151Search in Google Scholar
6. Li G, Cabanero M, Wang Z, Wang H, Huang T, Alexis H, et al. Comparison of glucose determinations on blood samples collected in three types of tubes. Ann Clin Lab Sci 2013;43:278–84.Search in Google Scholar
7. Stahl M, Jorgensen LG, Hyltoft Petersen P, Brandslund I, de Fine Olivarius N, Borch-Johnsen K. Optimization of preanalytical conditions and analysis of plasma glucose. 1. Impact of the new WHO and ADA recommendations on diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 2001;61:169–79.10.1080/003655101300133612Search in Google Scholar
8. Winter T, Greiser A, Nauck M, Petersmann A. Long-term stability of glucose: 96-h study using Terumo Glycaemia tubes. Clin Chem Lab Med 2016;54:407–10.10.1515/cclm-2015-0548Search in Google Scholar
9. Bonetti G, Carta M, Montagnana M, Lo Cascio C, Bonfigli AR, Mosca A, et al. Effectiveness of citrate buffer-fluoride mixture in Terumo tubes as an inhibitor of in vitro glycolysis. Biochem Med (Zagreb) 2016;26:68–76.10.11613/BM.2016.006Search in Google Scholar
10. Peake MJ, Bruns DE, Sacks DB, Horvath AR. It’s time for a better blood collection tube to improve the reliability of glucose results. Diabetes Care 2013;36:e2.10.2337/dc12-1312Search in Google Scholar
11. Uchida K, Matuse R, Toyoda E, Okuda S, Tomita S. A new method of inhibiting glycolysis in blood samples. Clin Chim Acta 1988;172:101–8.10.1016/0009-8981(88)90125-8Search in Google Scholar
12. van den Berg SA, Thelen MH, Salden LP, van Thiel SW, Boonen KJ. It takes acid, rather than ice, to freeze glucose. Sci Rep 2015;5:8875.10.1038/srep08875Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
13. del Pino IG, Constanso I, Mourin LV, Safont CB, Vazquez PR. Citric/citrate buffer: an effective antiglycolytic agent. Clin Chem Lab Med 2013;51:1943–9.10.1515/cclm-2012-0735Search in Google Scholar PubMed
14. Lima-Oliveira G, Lippi G, Salvagno GL, Picheth G, Guidi GC. Laboratory diagnostics and quality of blood collection. J Med Biochem 2015;34:288–94.10.2478/jomb-2014-0043Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
15. von Meyer A, Cadamuro J, Streichert T, Gurr E, Fiedler GM, Leichtle A, et al. Standard operating procedure for peripheral venous blood sampling. Laboratoriumsmedizin 2017;41: 333–40.10.1515/labmed-2017-0127Search in Google Scholar
16. Revision of the “Guideline of the German Medical Association on Quality Assurance in Medical Laboratory Examinations – Rili-BAEK” (unauthorized translation). Laboratoriumsmedizin 2015;39:26–69.10.1515/labmed-2014-0046Search in Google Scholar
17. Institute CaLS. Expression of Measurement Uncertainty in Laboratory Medicine; Approved Guideline: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 USA; 2012.Search in Google Scholar
18. Müller-Wieland D, Petersmann A, Nauck M, Heinemann L, Kerner W, Müller UA, et al. DGG Praxisempfehlung, Definition, Klassifikation und Diagnostik des Diabetes mellitus. Diabetologie 2016;11(Suppl. 2):78–81.10.1055/s-0042-115159Search in Google Scholar
19. Petersmann A, Kallner A, Preez H, Thein E, Dressel A. Diagnosis of late presenting subarachnoid hemorrhage: comparison of methods for cerebrospinal fluid ferritin. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 2014;74:524–6.10.3109/00365513.2014.913187Search in Google Scholar PubMed
20. van der Hagen EA, Fokkert MJ, Kleefman AM, Thelen MH, van den Berg SA, Slingerland RJ. Technical and clinical validation of the Greiner FC-Mix glycaemia tube. Clin Chem Lab Med 2017;28:1530–6.10.1515/cclm-2016-0944Search in Google Scholar PubMed
21. Dimeski G, Yow KS, Brown NN. Evaluation of the accuracy of the Greiner Bio-One FC Mix Glucose tube. Clin Chem Lab Med 2017;55:e96–8.10.1515/cclm-2016-0611Search in Google Scholar PubMed
22. Bonetti G, Carta M. The new Greiner FC-Mix tubes equal the old Terumo ones and are useful as glucose stabilizer after prolonged storage of samples. Biochem Med (Zagreb) 2017;27:030901.10.11613/BM.2017.030901Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
23. Juricic G, Kopcinovic LM, Saracevic A, Bakliza A, Simundic AM. Liquid citrate acidification introduces significant glucose bias and leads to misclassification of patients with diabetes. Clin Chem Lab Med 2016;54:363–71.10.1515/cclm-2015-0358Search in Google Scholar PubMed
24. van der Hagen EA, Kleefman AM, Thelen MH, van den Berg SA. Normalisation issues in glucose measurements using phlebotomy tubes with liquid additives. Clin Chem Lab Med 2017;55:e1–3.10.1515/cclm-2016-0225Search in Google Scholar PubMed
25. Jones I, Bottiger AK. Methaemoglobin does not interfere with the analysis of glucose in Terumo Venosafe Glycaemia tubes. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 2013;73:189–91.10.3109/00365513.2012.744463Search in Google Scholar PubMed
26. Juricic G, Saracevic A, Kopcinovic LM, Bakliza A, Simundic AM. The evidence for clinically significant bias in plasma glucose between liquid and lyophilized citrate buffer additive. Clin Biochem 2016;49:1402–5.10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2016.03.006Search in Google Scholar PubMed
27. Pasqualetti S, Braga F, Panteghini M. Pre-analytical and analytical aspects affecting clinical reliability of plasma glucose results. Clin Biochem 2017;50:587–94.10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2017.03.009Search in Google Scholar PubMed
28. Carey R, Lunt H, Heenan HF, Frampton CM, Florkowski CM. Collection tubes containing citrate stabiliser over-estimate plasma glucose, when compared to other samples undergoing immediate plasma separation. Clin Biochem 2016;49:1406–11.10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2016.05.017Search in Google Scholar PubMed
29. Juricic G, Bakliza A, Saracevic A, Kopcinovic LM, Dobrijevic S, Drmic S, et al. Glucose is stable during prolonged storage in un-centrifuged Greiner tubes with liquid citrate buffer, but not in serum and NaF/KOx tubes. Clin Chem Lab Med 2016;54:411–8.10.1515/cclm-2015-0746Search in Google Scholar PubMed
30. Roccaforte V, Daves M, Platzgummer S, Lippi G. The impact of different sample matrices in delayed measurement of glucose. Clin Biochem 2016;49:1412–5.10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2016.08.015Search in Google Scholar PubMed
31. Kang JG, Park CY, Ihm SH, Park SW. A potential issue with screening prediabetes or diabetes using serum glucose: a delay in diagnosis. Diabetes Metab J 2016;40:414–7.10.4093/dmj.2016.40.5.414Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
32. Kim HS. Blood glucose measurement: is serum equal to plasma? Diabetes Metab J 2016;40:365–6.10.4093/dmj.2016.40.5.365Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
