What is a clotted sample and how does it affect my blood test results? We've compiled some reasons and preventative measures that explain the process of sample clotting.

What does 'clotted' mean?

Blood clotting - also referred to as coagulation - is when your blood turns from a liquid to a gel. This occurs in a blood test when the sample has not been mixed with the clotting agent or if clotting happened during transit. When a sample arrives at a laboratory clotted, the sample cannot be analysed. 

If your results have come back with a label marked 'clotted,' it can mean a few things:

• That your blood wasn't mixed well enough after the collection. 
• If there was a gap (more than a couple of minutes) between when the sample collection occurred and when you mixed it.
• If it took too long for a sufficient amount of blood to be collected.

Please be advised that results labelled 'clotted' do not indicate a health risk or concern with your blood.

How to avoid a clotted sample?

There are several important steps to take to ensure that you prepare your sample for transit and analysis.

Preparing the sample

Make sure you carefully read through the instructions in your Welzo Test Kit. It is also important to be gentle but thorough when swirling/rotating the tubes.

• For samples collected in purple tubes: swirl the tube slowly for 20 seconds.
• For samples collected in yellow tubes: Rotate/flip the tube ten times, your blood will become thicker as you do so.

Shipping the sample

If your sample is exposed to temperature fluctuations, there is a chance it could become clotted. To avoid this from happening, we recommend the following:

• Take and ship your sample on the same day, preferably between Monday to Thursday to ensure it arrives at our laboratory quickly.
• We advise you to drop your sample off at a post office instead of at a post box so that it isn't exposed to outside temperatures.