Specimen Collection Instructions

 

Specimen Collection (Contact us to order this poster for your office.)

Equipment needed: sterile lancet with tip less than 2.4mm, sterile alcohol prep, sterile gauze pads, soft cloth, blood collection form, and gloves.

Complete ALL information. Do not contaminate filter paper circles by allowing the circles to come in contact with spillage or by touching before or after blood collection. Keep "SUBMITTER COPY" if applicable.
Hatched area indicates safe areas for puncture site.
Warm site with soft cloth, moistened with warm water up to 41º C for three to five minutes.
Cleanse site with alcohol prep. Wipe DRY with sterile gauze pad.
Puncture heel. Wipe away first blood drop with sterile gauze pad. Allow another LARGE blood drop to form.
Lightly touch filter paper to LARGE blood drop. Allow blood to soak through and completely fill circle with SINGLE application to LARGE blood drop. (To enhance blood flow, VERY GENTLE intermittent pressure may be applied to area surrounding puncture site). Apply blood to one side of filter paper only.
Fill remaining circles in the same manner as step 7, with successive blood drops. If blood flow is diminished, repeat steps 5 through 7. Care of skin puncture site should be consistent with your institution's procedures.
Dry collected blood spots on a dry, clean, flat non-absorbent surface for a minimum of three hours.

Return completed screening card to the Public Health Laboratory (PHL) using the return envelope provided in the collection kit as soon as possible. First screening cards must be received at the PHL within 72 hours of collection.


Printed with permission from Schleicher & Schuell, P.O. Box 2012, Keene, New Hampshire 03431 Phone: 800/437-7003 Fax: 603/357-3627 and The New York State Department of Health Schleicher & Schuell knows this information to be true only when using S&S 903 Specimen Collection Paper.