Adult: 1 x 5 mL blue top sodium citrate tube (4.5 mL draw)
Pediatric: 1 x short-draw sodium citrate tube (2.7 or 1.8 mL draw)
Whole blood
Collections from patients seen at:
All Acute Care hospital sites
All Health Centres (Airdrie Community Health Centre, Sheldon M Chumir Health Centre, South Calgary Health Centre)
Extra-regional hospitals
PSC: DO NOT collect test (Except for Airdrie, SMCHC, SCHC PSC)
Order and cancel test (cancellation code 22). Add chartable coded phrase "DDimer".
Patient MUST be referred to specific sites for collection. Provide patient with a completed copy of form PSC.8026 Special Test Collection: Not Collected at this Location. Select appropriate collection site. Form provides location/hours of the applicable collection labs.
It is important to fill tube to maximum draw. Mix well.
Indicate collection time on tube.
Note: The preferred tube for adult collections is the 4.5 mL draw tube. For difficult draws, use the 2.7 mL short-draw tube.
When using a winged blood collection set (butterfly needle) a discard tube must be used to remove the air in the tubing, if only a citrate tube is drawn or is the first tube drawn. | 
