Final answer:
It is crucial to fill blood collection tubes with the correct volume to ensure the integrity of the sample for analysis; underfilling leads to cell mortality due to high anticoagulant concentration, while overfilling causes sample dilution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Correct blood volume in collection tubes is crucial for accurate medical analysis. Underfilling a blood collection tube can lead to cell mortality because the concentration of anticoagulant becomes too high, causing alterations in the blood cells' environment. Conversely, overfilling a tube can cause dilution of the sample with the anticoagulant, potentially altering test results due to changes in the blood-to-anticoagulant ratio.
For example, during the period when a lab technician collects a blood sample in a glass tube, waiting approximately an hour before harvesting the serum, the blood will undergo coagulation, where the plasma separates from the blood cells. This process requires a precise blood-to-anticoagulant volume to ensure proper separation and to preserve the integrity of the plasma and serum for accurate testing, as in the hematocrit test, where blood is spun in a centrifuge to separate the components.
All these procedures, such as blood typing or plasma and serum separation, depend on the correct proportion of anticoagulant to blood. This is critical for obtaining accurate diagnostic information and for the reliability of tests such as leukocytosis, determining blood type, platelet count, and many others.