B-027 Preanalytical Processing Evaluation of AB Medical Quick-Clotting Serum Separator Tube, VQ-TUBE: A Comparison with Greiner VACUETTE® CAT Serum Sep Clot Activator Tube

Abstract Background Preanalytical variables significantly impact laboratory test results. Recently, AB Medical developed the quick-clotting serum separator tube, VQ-TUBE, which achieves complete clotting within 10 minutes. We aimed to evaluate the preanalytical utility of VQ-TUBE in comparison to the Greiner VACUETTE® CAT Serum Sep Clot Activator Tube (VACUETTE), which has a clotting time of 30 minutes. The evaluation focused on vacuum retention, clotting time, gel invertibility, and fibrin formation. Methods A total of 20 participants provided blood samples, with each individual having blood drawn into both VQ-TUBE and VACUETTE tubes. For each manufacturer, 10 tubes were stored at room temperature, while the remaining 10 were incubated at 35°C for 48 hours. The evaluation included blood volume retention within the acceptable range (8 mL ± 10%), clotting time assessment at 10 minutes, centrifugation at 3700 rpm for 7 minutes to assess gel invertibility, and visual inspection for fibrin formation in the separated serum. Results Both VQ-TUBE and VACUETTE consistently maintained vacuum levels within the acceptable range. In the 10-minute clotting time evaluation, VQ-TUBE failed to achieve complete clotting in 1 of 20 samples, whereas VACUETTE exhibited complete clotting in all samples. Gel invertibility was satisfactory in all tested tubes. Fibrin formation was observed in 3 of 20 VQ-TUBE samples, whereas VACUETTE samples exhibited fibrin in 7 of 20 samples. Conclusion This study suggests that VQ-TUBE performs comparably to VACUETTE in terms of clotting efficiency, gel separation, and fibrin formation. The shorter clotting time and lower fibrin incidence of VQ-TUBE highlight its potential for improving laboratory workflow efficiency. Further large-scale studies may be necessary to validate these findings across diverse clinical settings.