Equipment review: A color-coded system to facilitate specimen collection and storage in a multicenter trial

118cc-1-3-117 Full text Multicenter studies require a high degree of standardization to guarantee the demanded quality standard. One potential source of error is incorrect blood specimen collection in the different study centers, especially if different types of anticoagulants or specific inhibitors (eg cyclooxygenase inhibitors for prostaglandin determinations) are used. To avoid such problems well organized specimen collection is needed, in which the following criteria should be fulfilled: 1. simple and unambiguous instructions on specimen collection and storage at participating hospitals; 2. provision of all materials necessary for specimen collection and storage in a prepackaged system; (a) preassembled sets for blood collection (vacuum tubes with different anticoagulants / inhibitors) to minimize sampling error; (b) a collection and storage system which minimizes specimen loss and specimen mix up as well as having the ability to withstand temperatures at -70°C, and which ensures safe transport and storage; 3. a system which minimizes the need for multiple freeze-thaw cycles and offers an easy handling of the patients’ samples in the analytical laboratories especially upon multiple testing in batch fashion; 4. a specimen identification system which is readable after storage at -70°C for several months; 5. minimal storage space requirements. In order to fulfill the above requirements we have developed a color-coded blood collection and storage system.