Specimen Type
Whole Blood
Performing Lab
CareDx
Epic ID
LAB080021
Lab Test Days
Tuesday-Saturday
Collection Information
Specimen Required
5-10 mL Whole Blood
Container Type
Streck Cell-Free DNA BCT
Collection Instructions
Collect Monday-Friday only to avoid any shipping delays, unless there are special circumstances. Shipping kits are stored in the MOB outpatient lab or Referral Testing. Due to the fact that most HeartCare patients are immuno-suppressed – minimum draw must be obtained to make sure that enough PMBC cells are collected to pull enough RNA from for testing. Draw one 10mL Streck tube for each patient. (5mL-6mL for pediatric patients) Use no smaller than a 22g needle to draw the blood. Using too small of a needle creates micro-clotting that in turn damages the sample making it useless for testing. You can use green and black straight needles. You can use green butterfly needles. Absolutely NO blue butterfly needles. Invert the tubes 10 times immediately after the draw to mix the anticoagulant through the blood specimen. Clotting damages the sample making it useless for testing. Complete and Label the Streck tubes with an “AlloSure Streck Tube Label”. Make sure that the patient’s name and DOB are clearly printed on the label as well as the draw date and collector’s initials. An in-house barcode label is preferred to be used if all the required patient demographic info is pre-printed on the label. Avoid covering the tube expiration date. The collector must initial the in-house label and affix a small barcode label from the labels in the kit. It is recommended that specimens NOT be sent through a pneumatic tube system after draw and are handle delivered to lab. **Must be a direct venipuncture. No syringe draws, port draws, IV draws, or transfer from tube to tube unless there are special circumstances and is handled with care to avoid hemolysis. ** If blood flow is slow, or seems like hemolyzation is taking place, it is best to stop and try to draw the patient again. ** If more blood work than just the HeartCare test is being drawn, the Streck tube would come after the EDTA – so it would be toward the end of the draw order.
Processing Information - Lab Use Only
Transport Temperature
Ambient Only
Specimen Stability
Room Temp: 7 Days; Refrigerated: Unacceptable; Frozen: Unacceptable
Rejection Criteria
No identification on tube; Using expired tubes; Samples received > 7 days after collection; Hemolysis; Insufficient cfDNA; Specimen is not shipped properly (Strek tube missing gel pack included in shipping kit)
Test Volume Required
10 mL Whole Blood
Minimum Test Volume
5-6 mL Whole Blood (Need to yield at least 2 mL plasma)
Processing Instructions
Heart Transplant coordinator will place order and create TRF form in the CareDx portal. Form will be uploaded to shared Teams folder to print and complete laboratory required fields in red. Ensure all red fields are completed by Heart Transplant coordinator including provider signature. Affix barcode labels to top TRF in designated area. Write in draw date, draw time, draw site name and collector's initials in the appropriate place on the TRF. Package sample with completed TRF form in provide CareDx shipping kit. Ensure Strek tube is placed in biohazard bag, biohazard bag is placed in gel pack and gel pack is placed in foil envelope and sealed. All package inserts should be returned in shipping kit to ship with sample and TRF form.
Comments
No charge. Covered by CareDx Exploratory Access program.
CPT Codes
81595
Revised
4/22/24
Initials
SA