What is the acceptable maximum time from collection to separation for whole blood intended for CBC?

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Multiple Choice

What is the acceptable maximum time from collection to separation for whole blood intended for CBC?

Explanation:
Preanalytical stability of EDTA whole-blood samples is crucial for an accurate CBC. The cells remain metabolically active after collection, and delays before analysis allow changes that alter counts and morphology. Platelets can clump, leukocytes age or distort, and red blood cells may swell or degrade in ways that shift results. These time-driven changes are minimized by processing promptly, so the guidance is to analyze ideally within 1–2 hours, with sooner being better. Longer delays, such as several hours or a day, increase the likelihood of inaccuracies in the CBC.

Preanalytical stability of EDTA whole-blood samples is crucial for an accurate CBC. The cells remain metabolically active after collection, and delays before analysis allow changes that alter counts and morphology. Platelets can clump, leukocytes age or distort, and red blood cells may swell or degrade in ways that shift results. These time-driven changes are minimized by processing promptly, so the guidance is to analyze ideally within 1–2 hours, with sooner being better. Longer delays, such as several hours or a day, increase the likelihood of inaccuracies in the CBC.

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