Objective: At Emergency Department, we aimed to compare the test results of serum samples obtained from the tubes containing thrombin to take short span of time for clotting (RST) with the tubes containing serum separator gel with clot activator (SST II Advance) that we have used before.

Materials and Methods: Samples were taken from the patients into the two different tubes (RST ve SST II Advance) simultaneously. According to manufacturer's instructions, RST tubes were inverted 5-6 times, and centrifuged after 5 minutes, SST II Advance tubes were inverted 5-6 times, and centrifuged after 30 minutes (1600xg,10 minutes). In 48 patients' serum samples glucose, urea, amylase, calcium, sodium, potassium levels were measured duplicately.

Results: According to Kolmogrov-Smirnov test, urea, calcium and potassium levels were scattered homogeny and for these parameters paired sample t test was performed (p=0.175, p<0.001, p=0.165 respectively); glucose, amylase and sodium levels were non-homogeny and for these parameters Wilcoxon-Signed-Rank test was applied (p<0.001, p=0.635, p=0.248, respectively). There was a significant difference between glucose and calcium levels and these parameters were classified for rst>sst and sst>rst. For significance level of these differences Mann-Whitney U test was performed and it was p=0.909, p=0.066 for glucose and calcium respectively. There were no significant differences for urea, amylase, sodium and potassium parameters.

Conclusion: Although glucose and calcium were significantly different in paired t test, these differences were not systematic. Regarding short clotting time and less hemolysis, RST tubes seem to be advantageous. The utilization of these tubes can be recommended after considering cost-benefit analysis.