SMILE

JohnsHopkinsUniversity

Baltimore, MDUSA

Centrifuge Calibration Verification for Platelet Poor Plasma- Guidelines

Centrifuge Calibration Verification for Platelet Poor Plasma / Guideline Number / Equ12-04-G
Effective Date / 20-Oct-08
Subject
Centrifuge Calibration Verification / Page / 1 of 1
Supersedes / New
Review by / Heidi Hanes / Review date / 9-Feb-12
SMILE Comments: This document is provided as an example only. It must be revised to accurately reflect your lab’s specific processes and/or specific protocol requirements. Users are directed to countercheck facts when considering their use in other applications. If you have any questions contact SMILE.

CAP Accreditation Checklist:

  1. Limited service laboratory checklist manual, Coagulation Specimen Handling.

Background Information:

Plasma used for coagulation studies must be platelet-poor. Centrifuge speed and duration must be established by the laboratory to ensure platelet counts are less than 10,000/uL. These parameters should be validated every six months or after repair or preventive maintenance of the centrifuge.

Resources

  1. College of American Pathologists (CAP) 2006. Commission on Laboratory Accreditation, Laboratory Accreditation Program; Limited Service Laboratory Checklist manual (Revised 2007).
  2. CLSI H21-A5 Collection, Transport, and Processing of Blood Specimens for Testing Plasma-Based Coagulation Assays, Vol. 28, No 5, fifth Edition, January 2008.

Centrifuge Calibration Verification for Platelet Poor Plasma

Author(s), Name & Title / Heidi Hanes, BS, MT, (ASCP) SH / Document Number / Effective Date
QA/QC International Coordinator / Equ12-04-SOP / 20-Oct-08
Approved By / Name, Title / Signature / Date
SOP Annual Review / Name, Title / Signature / Date
Revision History / Version # [1.0] / Revision Date [dd/mm/yy] / Description (notes)
Distributed Copies to / Name (or location) / # of copies / Name (or location) / # of copies

I acknowledge that I have read, understand and agree to follow this SOP

Name (print) / Signature / Date

Centrifuge Calibration Verification for Platelet Poor Plasma

Purpose

This procedure provides instructions and guidelines for validation of centrifuge time and speed for producing platelet-poor plasma for coagulation testing.

Analytic Procedure

Specimen Information: N/A

Reagents/Media: N/A

Precautions:

Standard precautions should be used while working with any instrument or specimen, refer to laboratory safety procedure (enter the number of your lab’s Safety SOP).

Supplies/Equipment

  1. Centrifuge
  2. Citrated plasma specimens(can be a previously sampled tube or newly drawn at the correct filling content (1:9 ratio of sodium citrate to blood)
  3. Tube Size –Use the Sodium citrate (blue-top) tube that is standard for your institution.
  4. Hematology instrument to read platelet counts

Centrifuge Verification Maintenance:

(Note: Procedure can be written in regular step by step format, the use of table form is not necessary.)

Step / Action
1 /
  • Centrifuges used in the laboratory are to be considered as contaminated and should only be handled with gloves and other personal protective equipment and/or thoroughly disinfected before calibration verification.

2 /
  • If specimens werepreviously spun mix tubes to disperse cells to simulate un-spun patient blood.

3 /
  • Spin at least two citrated specimens at a time in order to balancethe centrifuge.

4 /
  • After centrifugation, carefully test the upper portion of the plasma on the hematology instrument.

5 /
  • Record platelet value on Centrifuge Plasma Check Log.(Appendix B)

6 /
  • Repeat steps 2 through 4 two more times.

7 / If / Then
Platelets <10,000/uL / Document time, speed, and average platelet value on Centrifuge daily log.(Appendix A)
Platelets >10,000/uL /
  • Change time or speed until platelet results are less than 10,000/uL.
  • Document time, speed and averageplatelet value on Centrifuge Preventative log.(Appendix A)

8 /
  • Repeat steps 1 though 6 for all centrifuges used for spinning coagulation specimens.

Interpretation of Results:

All platelets results should be under 10,000/uL. Speed and/or timing should be adjusted until the desired platelet resultis obtained. Centrifuge Verification for platelet poorplasmashould be performed every six months or after major repairs.

References:

  1. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, How to Meet the Most Frequently Cited Laboratory Standards1996, Oakbrook Terrace, IL.
  2. CLSI H21-A5 Collection, Transport, and Processing of Blood Specimens for Testing Plasma-Based Coagulation Assays, Vol. 28, No 5, fifth Edition, January 2008.

Appendices

  1. Appendix A - Example of Centrifuge Preventative Maintenance/Quality Control Log
  2. Appendix B – Example of Centrifuge Plasma Check Log.

Centrifuge Calibration Verification for Platelet Poor Plasma Version#: 1.0 Page 1 of 5