Objectives:toinvestigate the sample stabilitywith regard to the temperatureand the storage time and to detect influence of temperature and storage duration on Prothrombin time in citrated plasma.
Patients and Method:This study was carried out in the period between April, 2016 and March, 2017 in the department of clinical pathology, Sohag University Hospital, Sohag, Egypt, during the study period whole blood samples were collected from groups of patients: "43"apparently normal healthy (not receiving anticoagulant) as control (group A) and"43"receiving anticoagulant (17 on warfarin and 26 on heparin) (group B).Each sample of each group will be analyzed forProthrombin time immediately and after 4hrs, 8hrs, and 24hrs of storage.Also each sample will be tested at room temperature (18-22 °C) and at refrigerator temperature (4 °C).
Results andConclusion:samples for Prothrombin time were acceptable for analyses up to 24 h in those not receiving anticoagulant and up to 8 h in those receiving anticoagulant.