title: Evaluation of a new generation of plastic evacuated blood-collection tubes in clinical chemistry, therapeutic drug monitoring, hormone and trace metal analysis.
abstract: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tubes have several advantages over glass tubes: they are unbreakable, lighter and more easily disposed of. Despite a steady increase in their use and an expansion of the range of available tubes, few studies validating their use have been published in the literature. This paper describes the various studies that have been performed to compare VENOJECT glass, VENOSAFE PET and VENOSAFE PET/heparin tubes for the assay of a panel of analytes in routine clinical chemistry, immunochemistry, hormone and tumor marker analysis and trace metal determination. These studies demonstrate that VENOSAFE PET tubes are a suitable alternative to glass tubes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Chemistry, Department of Clinical Pathology, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. jmboeyna@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Boeynaems
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Leener
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dessars
authors.forename: Hector Rodriguez
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Villa-Lobos
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Aubry
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thiry
mesh_terms: D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D019963:Clinical Chemistry Tests / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005898:Glass; D006493:Heparin; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D008670:Metals; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D014867:Water; D006493:Heparin