Serum or plasma? An old question looking for new answers
-
Mario Plebani
,
Giuseppe Banfi
Abstract
Serum or plasma? An old question looking for new answers. There is a continual debate on what type of sample a clinical laboratory should use. While serum is still considered the gold standard and remains the required sample for some assays, laboratories must consider turn-around time, which is an important metric for laboratory performance and, more importantly, plays a critical role in patient care. In addition, a body of evidence emphasise the choice of plasma in order to prevent modifications of some analytes due to the coagulation process and related interferences. Advantages and disadvantages of serum and plasma are discussed on the basis of current literature and evidence. In addition, data are provided on the current utilisation of the samples (serum or plasma) in Italy and in other countries. Finally, a rationale for a possible switch from serum to plasma is provided.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to EDRA SpA for the editorial support for the manuscript.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Potential conflicts of interest: This document was produced with the non-conditional contribution of Becton Dickinson Italia SpA.
Competing interests: The funding organisation(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
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Article note
This paper is a translation, slightly modified, of the paper published in Biochimica Clinica: Plebani M, Banfi G, Bernardini S, Bondanini F, Conti L. Dorizzi R. et al. Siero o plasma? Un quesito non nuovo che attende risposte nuove. Biochim Clin 2019;43:178–86.
©2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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- Editorial
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