How Long Can Blood Be Stored for Lab Testing?

Have you ever given blood? If so, you may be curious about how long blood can be stored for lab testing. Click here to discover the long-term viability of blood samples.

 

Every year in the United States, more than 7 billion clinical lab tests are performed. If you consider yourself to be a part of the statistics and have ever given blood for whatever reason, you may be curious about how long blood can be stored for lab testing.

Well, for starters, samples need to be maintained in a specific manner to preserve the specimen's integrity and provide reliable test results. For long-term viability, it needs to be stored in a certain way.

The Industry Standard for Blood Storage

According to the industry stand, blood samples shouldn’t be kept at room temperature for more than eight hours. If the tests aren’t completed within eight hours, the samples should be kept in a temperature range of +2°C to +8°C for no more than seven days.

If the test is done within seven days, or if the lab needs to store the sample for more than seven days, they need to freeze it between -15 and -20°C. Note that this standard is followed at most laboratories worldwide.

Shelf Life of Blood Samples

After a blood sample has been drawn and labeled by a lab phlebotomist, it has to be delivered, shipped, or transferred in some other way to a laboratory for further testing. The shelf life of whole blood samples, sometimes known as liquid blood or "wet" blood, is relatively short.

This is because blood is less efficient in transporting oxygen-rich cells throughout the body after three weeks. However, a blood donor's shelf life is generally regarded as no more than five to six weeks for a transfusion.

Journey of a Blood Sample

Once a blood sample has been provided or transported to the laboratory, skilled medical professionals analyze it using a variety of procedures, depending on the required tests. If more than one test is required, the laboratory professionals will demand more than one blood sample.

As a result, a phlebotomy testing services provider will take numerous tubes of blood for a single blood test because if the sample is too small, the lab won’t be able to repeat the test to confirm the initial result.

The Bottom Line

Now that you know how long blood can be stored for lab testing, it's time to search for “mobile phlebotomy services near me VA.” If you reside anywhere in Maryland or the surrounding states of Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, feel free to get in with Phlebotomy On Wheels.

We’re a licensed Laboratory Testing Services VA provider in the United States with highly experienced phlebotomists. To schedule an appointment, call (443)-866-3647 or visit www.mobilebloodlabs.com for more info.