Efficacy of Sodium Fluoride as an Anticoagulant in the Estimation of Glycated Haemoglobin in Diabetic Patients: An Alternative to EDTA

Abstract

Introduction: Vacutainer used for collecting blood sample for plasma glucose estimation contains sodium fluoride (NaF) as an additive and for Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) an Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA) tube. This necessitates additional blood to be collected for testing from the same patient at same period of time. Aim: To evaluate difference in the HbA1c values in blood samples collected in EDTA and NaF coated vacutainers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Biochemistry section of central laboratory, Father Muller Medical College and Hospital, Mangalore, Karnataka, India, for the duration of two months (June to July 2018). The samples drawn for fasting plasma glucose estimation in NaF vacutainer and for HbA1c estimation in EDTA sample of same patients was included in present study. The data were entered in the statistical software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: Samples from 140 patients whose blood had been drawn for fasting plasma glucose levels and estimation of HbA1c in which 80 subjects were males and 60 females with mean age of 54.4±13.6 years were included in the present study. There were no significant changes in the mean levels of HbA1c in EDTA and NaF tubes (8.61±1.93 and 8.64±1.93, respectively). Conclusion: Current results exclude the absolute necessity for the blood collection in EDTA vacutainers for HbA1c estimation.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid
• fasting plasma glucose