ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Clinical and Translational Physiology
Navigating Preanalytical Challenges: A Real-World Study on Single-Tube Pneumatic Tube Systems
Provisionally accepted
Lisha Li1
Xiaofei Zhang2Nannan Xu1Miaoli Shao1Binxuan Chen1Feng Wu1Qi Zhao1Wensheng Wang1Jianxin Yan1Zhiheng Wang2
Renfang Zhou1*- 1The First People's Hospital of Wenling, Wenling, China
- 2Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
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Purpose: Pneumatic tube systems (PTS) accelerate the transport of samples in the laboratory but may lead to preanalytical hemolysis. Samples may rest before transport during busy times, but the effect on test accuracy is unclear. This study presents a novel single-tube PTS with a secondary deceleration device and LIS integration, evaluating its impact on routine biochemical parameters and examining the effects of prolonged sample resting times before PTS transport. Methods: In a prospective study of 34 outpatients, four blood samples per participant were collected in silica-clot activator tubes. Samples were randomly allocated to: immediate PTS transport (Group A), PTS after 15-min rest (B), PTS after 30-min rest (C), or manual delivery (Group D). All samples from each subject were centrifuged and analyzed simultaneously upon arrival. Twenty-two biochemical parameters were measured; results for PTS groups were compared to the manual control, with bias assessed against ±1/2 total allowable error (±1/2TEa). Results: The hemolysis index (HI) was negative for both PTS and HD groups. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were significantly elevated in all PTS groups versus manual delivery (p<0.001). The bias for LDH was clinically acceptable only for immediate transport (Group A: +3.2%) but exceeded limits after 15-and 30-minute rests (Group B: +5.8%; Group C: +10.7%). Glucose showed significant yet clinically acceptable variations. Other parameters remained within acceptable limits. Conclusion: The single-tube PTS is suitable for transporting blood specimens for biochemical analysis. To maintain the reliability of biochemical results from silica-clot activator tubes, laboratories should minimize pre-transport delays and include resting time as a critical variable in PTS validation protocols.
Keywords: Blood Specimen Collection, Clinical chemistry, Hemolysis, Laboratories, pneumatic transportation system
Received: 11 Sep 2025; Accepted: 16 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Li, Zhang, Xu, Shao, Chen, Wu, Zhao, Wang, Yan, Wang and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Renfang Zhou
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