EDITORIAL
Mehmood
According to Dacie Haematology, 0.55 ml anticoagulant is added to 5 ml blood specimen. Ideal trisodium citrate to blood ratio is 1:9. ( This means 550 ul anticoagulant in 4500 ul blood sample).
Currently, in many laboratories in Pakistan, the citrate tubes have 0.20 ml anticoagulant to make a total of 2.5 ml sample i.e. 200 ul for 2300 ul blood. But according to the ideal ratio, it should be 200 ul for 1800 ul thus making a final volume of 2 ml, and not 2.5 ml!