Effects of underfilled EDTA tube?

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Effects of underfilled EDTA tube?

The main idea here is that the blood-to-additive ratio in an EDTA tube matters a lot for cell morphology. When the tube is underfilled, there’s more EDTA relative to the blood. This excess EDTA can cause leukocytes to undergo degenerative changes during processing and on the smear, so you’ll see artifactual WBC abnormalities rather than true pathology. That’s why underfilled EDTA tubes are associated with degenerative changes in white blood cells. In contrast, other effects like a consistent increase in MCHC or platelet count changes, or no morphology changes at all, aren’t characteristic artifacts of underfilling.

The main idea here is that the blood-to-additive ratio in an EDTA tube matters a lot for cell morphology. When the tube is underfilled, there’s more EDTA relative to the blood. This excess EDTA can cause leukocytes to undergo degenerative changes during processing and on the smear, so you’ll see artifactual WBC abnormalities rather than true pathology. That’s why underfilled EDTA tubes are associated with degenerative changes in white blood cells. In contrast, other effects like a consistent increase in MCHC or platelet count changes, or no morphology changes at all, aren’t characteristic artifacts of underfilling.

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