Which additive is found in a yellow tube top?

The yellow tube top is commonly associated with the presence of Acid Citrate Dextrose (ACD) as an additive. ACD is primarily used for blood collection in transfusion medicine and is particularly effective for preserving red blood cells and platelets, making it useful in blood banking and certain types of laboratory studies.

ACD works by chelating calcium, which prevents blood from clotting, thus allowing for the preservation of cellular elements in the collected sample. This characteristic is crucial in situations where maintaining the viability of blood cells is important for further testing or therapeutic purposes.

Each of the other additives mentioned serves a different function in blood collection. For example, sodium citrate is found in light blue tops and is used for coagulation studies, EDTA is in lavender tops and is utilized for hematology tests, and heparin is found in green tops and is primarily used for plasma chemistry tests. Thus, the presence of ACD in yellow tube tops is specific and distinct, aligning with its intended use in various clinical applications.