Objectives:to investigate the sample stability with regard to the temperature and storage time and to detect influence of temperture and storage duration on Prothrombin time in citrated Plasma
Patients and methods :This study was carried out in the period between April 2016 and March 2017in the department of clinical pathology , Sohag University Hospital ,Sohag, Egypt.During the study period whole blood samples were collected from groups of patients:43 aparently normal healthy(not recieving anticoagulant drugs)as control group(group A) and 43 patients receiving anticoagulant(17 on Warfarin and 26 on heparin)(group B).Each sample of each group analyzed for prothrombin time immediately and after 4 hours, 8 hours and 24 hours of storage .Also,each sample was tested at room teperature (18-22 °C)and at refrigerator temperature(4 °C)
Results and conclusion:Samples for Prothrombin time were acceptable for analysis up to 24 h in those not receiving anticoagulant and for 8h in those receiving anticoagulant.