Editing Anticoagulant (section)

==Laboratory use==
If blood is allowed to clot, [[Medical laboratory|laboratory]] instruments, blood transfusion bags, and medical and surgical equipment will get clogged up and non-operational. In addition, test tubes used for laboratory blood tests will have chemicals added to stop blood clotting. Besides heparin, most of these chemicals [[chelation|bind]] [[calcium]] ions, preventing the coagulation proteins from using them.
* [[Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid]] (EDTA) strongly and irreversibly chelates (binds) calcium ions, preventing blood from clotting.
* [[Citrate]] is in liquid form in the tube and is used for coagulation tests and blood transfusion bags. It binds calcium but not as strongly as EDTA. The correct proportion of this anticoagulant to blood is crucial because of the dilution, which can be reversed with the addition of calcium. Formulations include plain [[Monosodium citrate|sodium citrate]], [[acid-citrate-dextrose]], and more.
* [[Oxalate]] has a mechanism similar to that of citrate. It is the anticoagulant used in fluoride/oxalate tubes to determine glucose and lactate levels. The fluoride inhibits [[glycolysis]], which can throw off blood sugar measurements. Citrate/fluoride/EDTA tubes work better in this regard.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Norman |first1=Mikaela |last2=Jones |first2=Ian |title=The shift from fluoride/oxalate to acid citrate/fluoride blood collection tubes for glucose testing – The impact upon patient results |journal=Clinical Biochemistry |date=May 2014 |volume=47 |issue=7–8 |pages=683–85 |doi=10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2014.01.011|pmid=24463230 }}</ref>