For partners and buyers

EDTA tube

In one sentence

An EDTA tube is a blood collection tube that contains EDTA, a substance that stops the blood from clotting. Laboratories use it for values measured in whole blood, such as HbA1c.

EDTA is short for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and it binds the calcium that blood needs in order to clot. Because the blood stays liquid, the laboratory can measure values in whole blood, and HbA1c, which shows average blood sugar over the past two to three months, is one of them.

In a kit for home collection the EDTA tube is usually filled before the serum tube. The customer then turns it gently several times, so that the EDTA mixes with all of the blood.

For a buyer the useful question is which values in a panel need an EDTA tube, because that decides how many tubes and devices go into each kit. A supplier should state the tube for every value it sells.

In this glossary, Serum tube describes the other common tube, Präanalytik covers the handling before analysis, and Testkit describes the box the tubes are packed in.

This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat or rule out any condition. Discuss your own results with a clinician who knows your history.

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TestkitA Testkit is the box a customer receives for a test, containing the collection device, the tubes or card, the instructions, an identifier and a return envelope. It is the physical product your customer holds in their hands.

ProbeProbe is the German word for the sample itself, which is the blood, saliva, urine or stool material that a laboratory analyses. It is the only physical object in a diagnostics order, so its condition decides whether a result exists at all.

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100+ biomarkers* across 10 body systems, drawn by licensed physicians at over 25 locations in Germany. Core panel results are usually in the app within 10 days, while a few add-on panels take longer.

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