BD Vacutainer® PST™ II tubes

Plasma tubes with separating gel for clinical chemistry are available with the spray-dried additives sodium heparin or lithium heparin. The same specifications apply to the additives of these tubes as to the plasma tubes without gel.

Centrifugation conditions

1300-2000 x g for 10 minutes at 18-25°C

or alternatively according to BD study VS 7513

3000 x g for 5 minutes at 18-25°C

Temperature effects

PST™ II tubes should be stored at 4-25°C away from direct sunlight. Refrigeration of the tube before or during centrifugation may affect the ability of the gel to move, possibly resulting in an unstable gel barrier. Optimal separation of sediment and plasma is achieved at a centrifuge temperature of 20-25°C.

Separation gel

The inert separating gel migrates upwards during centrifugation and acts as a diffusion barrier between the supernatant (= plasma) and the solid cell components. The new PST™ II acrylic gel offers you improved plasma purity by significantly reducing visible fibrin and cellular material. Most analytes routinely used in clinical chemistry are stable in the PST™ II tube for up to 24 h at 20-25°C. Even with special analytes such as drugs and hormones, no adsorption to the gel has been demonstrated in studies. In addition, the PST ™ II gel forms a significantly more stable barrier for transport and storage.