FDA says shortage of blood specimen collection tubes requires conservation measures

UPDATE: Blood Specimen Collection Tube Conservation Strategies The FDA recommends conservation strategies to minimize the use of these tubes and maintain the quality and safety of care for patients. Center for Devices and Radiological Health U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aware the United States is experiencing significant interruptions in the supply of several blood specimen collection (blood draw) tubes because of an increase in demand during the COVID-19 public health emergency and recent vendor supply challenges. The FDA is expanding the medical device shortage list to include all blood specimen collection tubes. The FDA previously issued a letter to health care and laboratory personnel on June 10, 2021, about a shortage of sodium citrate blood specimen collection (light blue top) tubes. 

Recommendations

The FDA recommends health care providers, laboratory directors, phlebotomists, and other personnel consider the following conservation strategies to minimize blood collection tube use and maintain quality and safety of patient care:

• Only perform blood draws considered medically necessary.
  • Remove duplicate test orders to avoid unnecessary blood draws.
  • Avoid testing too frequently or extend time intervals between tests whenever possible.
• Reduce tests at routine wellness visits and allergy testing only to those that target specific disease states or where it will change patient treatment.
• Consider add-on testing or sharing samples between laboratory departments if previously collected specimens are available.
• If you need a discard tube, use a tube type that has a greater quantity available at your facility.
• Consider point of care testing that does not require using blood specimen collection tubes (lateral flow tests).