Effects of Blood Transport Using a Pneumatic Tube System on the Serum Hemoglobin Level: A Comparison with Manual Transport

Abstract CONTEXT: A pneumatic tube system (PTS) can speed up the transportation of specimens to the laboratory, but they may also undergo acceleration/deceleration, high speeds, and changes in air pressure. AIMS: This study aims to determine different serum hemoglobin levels among the specimens sent using PTS and manual transport. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study included 40 healthy adult subjects whose specimens were sent to the Central Laboratory of Central General Hospital-Rumah Sakit Umum Pusat (RSUP) Dr. M. Djamil Padang from May to October 2023. Venous blood was collected aseptically in the cubital fossa region, and 3 mL of venous blood was inserted into the tube containing clot activator with gel separator. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Specimen delivery was carried out from the same distance (1.500 m) using two methods. The first tube was sent using PTS (at the speed of 6 m/s), while the second tube was transported manually by an officer (human courier). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Serum hemoglobin was examined using hematology analyzer. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann–Whitney U -test, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant and was examined using JASP. The average age of the subjects was 31.6 (5.5) years, and the majority (85%) were females. RESULTS: Differences in serum hemoglobin levels (g/dL) sent using PTS and manual transport, respectively, were 0.0 (0.0–0.3) versus 0.0 (0.0–0.3) with P = 0.873. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in serum hemoglobin levels between specimens sent using PTS at 1.500 m and the speed of 6 m/s with manual transport.