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Blood-collection tubes with a relative vacuum in their interior designed to store a predetermined volume of blood sample drawn from a venipuncture through a blood-collection set. These devices are typically plastic or glass tubes of which the working end is presealed after obtaining a relative vacuum. They are usually connected using an adapter to a needle (that may include a Luer lock), which in turn punctures the stopper of the blood-collection set. Evacuated blood-collection tubes frequently contain a substance appropriate to inhibit or enhance coagulation according to the intended use of the blood sample (e.g., heparin for chemical analysis, sodium citrate for plasma coagulation); the tube caps are usually color coded accordingly.
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