2025-11-10 – Weekly Lab Technician News : Optimizing SST Clot Times

Last week on the forum, members discussed a variety of technical challenges and career opportunities. We saw a lively debate on the best ways to de-identify laboratory data, particularly focusing on smear images and scattergrams. There was also considerable interest in methods for improving SST clot times before centrifugation. Career discussions gained traction too, with insights shared about transitioning from core chemistry roles to toxicology benches.


This Week’s Hot Topics

Weekly Lab Technician Jobs: Remote AV Dispatch Lead opportunity
A new job opening as a Remote AV Dispatch Lead has caught attention. It’s a great chance for those looking to step into remote work in a supervisory role.

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De-identifying smear images and scattergrams
This thread delves into methodologies for ensuring patient privacy while handling laboratory data. It’s crucial for maintaining confidentiality in lab operations.

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SST clot time before centrifuge
There’s ongoing exploration of techniques to optimize clot times in serum separator tubes, aimed at improving laboratory efficiency.

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Switching from core chem to tox bench
A practical conversation about transitioning between lab disciplines, offering advice and shared experiences from those who have made the switch.

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Masking incidental variants in pipelines
This discussion addresses how to handle incidental findings in genetic testing, a topic of growing importance as technology advances.

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Balancing batches and stability pulls
Here, members discuss strategies for managing batch processing alongside stability testing, ensuring smooth lab operations.

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Environmental monitoring log template
A shared resource for tracking environmental conditions in the lab, aiming to standardize and improve monitoring practices.

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FAQ/Guidelines
For new and seasoned members alike, this thread is a quick reference for forum guidelines and frequently asked questions.

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Admin Guide: Getting Started
A handy guide for administrators on setting up and managing forum activities effectively.

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Key Skills Every Lab Technician Should Have
A valuable discussion on essential skills for lab technicians, from technical know-how to soft skills that enhance career prospects.

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Wishing you a productive week ahead, filled with engaging discussions and valuable learning experiences.

On pages with organic traffic, I’ve had better SEO by deferring ‘autoplay’ until the first scroll and keeping the video muted with preload=‘metadata’ plus a solid poster — kept LCP stable and stopped a tools landing page from dipping last week. Small caveat: if the hero is brand-critical, I only auto-play for returning users via localStorage — anyone seen drawbacks with that?

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One tweak that helped our SST clot times: we validated a 10‑min 37°C dry‑block hold for heparinized patients before spin, and moved true STAT chems to RST so we’re spinning in about 5–10 min per IFU (https://www.bd.com/en-us/products-and-solutions/products/product-families/bd-vacutainer-rapid-serum-tubes-rst). Small caveat: check your assay package inserts before warming tubes.

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@natalie_f64 we cut SST delays by writing draw time on the label and keeping tubes upright in a room‑temp plastic rack with 5 gentle inversions — cold metal carts were clot killers. If we truly need speed we route to RST, and for SST we avoid anything hotter than mild room‑temp warming unless validated; BD still says ‘30 min clot’ for SST: https://www.bd.com/en-us/products-and-solutions/products/product-families/bd-vacutainer-evacuated-blood-collection-system.

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Stopped sending fresh SSTs via PTS; 20–25 min ‘before centrifugation’ bench rest cut fibrin — hand-carry true STATs, @Guide.

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We log Fo with dataloggers each changeover; watch cooling-water chlorine to prevent suck-back. eCFR :: 21 CFR Part 113 -- Thermally Processed Low-Acid Foods Packaged in Hermetically Sealed Containers.

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