Which stopper is used for blood glucose testing?

QUESTION: Which stopper is used for blood glucose testing? Is there any specific one?

ANSWER: Hi there,

You have to know that different stoppers are used in every country and in every hospital, respectively. As you probably know, there are many blood tests estimated every day in every hospitals, which requires a lot of stoppers.

The other important thing is that there exist many companies that produce them; while the director of the hospital is buying the most effective of all stoppers. In other words, the most effective include that stopper, which covers all a hospital needs.

It is difficult for me to specify which is the stopper used in your country, but the only thing I can tell you is related to the requirements for a good stopper as following:

First of all, it has to be made from a material, which stands great pressure and great temperature. You have to know that during some of the blood test, temperature and pressure are used for a method to extract the needed substance form the blood and to measure its amount.

The other major requirement for a stopper is to be antibacterial. This is quite important, because bacteria may enter under the stopper and to damage the blood sample. This may cause changes in the results, which we don’t want.

In purpose to prevent this, the pharmaceutical companies are using antibiotics, which are smeared on the stopper.

The color and the exact shape of the stopper are depending on the tube, which they are covering. But these things are not important for the quality of the blood sample or for the quality of the results.

Hope it helped!

Dr.Alba

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Written by Dr.Albana Greca Sejdini, Md, MMedSc

Medically reviewed by Dr.Ruden Cakoni, MD, Endocrinologist

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