Acceptable glass tubes for blood bank testing

[sgoertzen 40]

For many years we have been using borosilicate glass tubes (12 x 75mm and 10 x 75mm) with a patch for writing on them to perform our blood bank testing that needs to be done in tubes.  We currently purchase ours from Kimble-Chase - item numbers are 60A10BZW and 60B12BZW.  As companies have merged over the years I guess things have changed because one of our blood bankers recently noticed some very small print above the barcode on the box of tubes that says: "For Research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures."  I would consider blood bank testing performed in tubes to be a "diagnostic procedure", so we've gone in search of an alternate vendor for glass tubes with a patch specifically made and approved for blood bank tube testing.  We can't find anything out there on the market.   We've checked with other local hospitals and they had never noticed this message until we brought it to their attention and are choosing to ignore the manufacturer's message and continue to use the tubes.       What vendor is everyone else using? 

[AMcCord 1,178]

We use use plain 'disposable glass culture tubes' from Cardinal and write on them with a Sharpie.

[ANORRIS 94]

1 hour ago, AMcCord said:

We use use plain 'disposable glass culture tubes' from Cardinal and write on them with a Sharpie.

The ones from Cardinal have the same statement on the box above the barcode.   "For Research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures." 

[BankerGirl 191]

57 minutes ago, ANORRIS said:

The ones from Cardinal have the same statement on the box above the barcode.   "For Research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures." 

I just looked at ours and they do not have this statement anywhere on the box.  We use Cat. SP1290-2 and Cat. SP1290-3 from Cardinal.

[cswickard 196]

We use the Fisher Scientific borosilicate glass tube cat # 14-961-26.  it does not have this statement anywhere on the individual box, the carton or the website catalog description.   We also write on them with Sharpies.

Anyway - what does that statement "For Research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures."  even mean?  What context/use does the manufacturer mean?  Have you found anyone to ask?

Edited June 9, 2017 by cswickard

[AMcCord 1,178]

On 6/9/2017 at 10:19 AM, BankerGirl said:

I just looked at ours and they do not have this statement anywhere on the box.  We use Cat. SP1290-2 and Cat. SP1290-3 from Cardinal.

We use Cardinal Cat. SP1290-2. There is no statement on the box about research use only. These are not labeled as borosilicate tubes - maybe that's where the warning comes from.

Edited June 12, 2017 by AMcCord

[Quality_Lady 13]

The Kimble tubes showed up in our lab. Has anyone found more information regarding the new labeling? We are awaiting information from both Kimble and Fisher.

[cag589 10]

We use culture tubes from Cardinal Health.  SP1290-3     12x75mm

[tricore 150]

Has anyone received a reply from any vendor as to why the disclaimer?

Found this:

http://nowiknow.com/the-war-against-pyrex/

....For decades, Pyrex was made of borosilicate glass, a special type of glass in which boron oxide is added to the mix. The added boron allows Pyrex to handle heat much better than typical glass, ...

As a result, the drug trade needed to find another way to obtain borosilicate glass.... An uptick in theft from an unlikely place. As PopSci so eloquently notes, “[the crack-making] industry was forced to switch from measuring cups purchased at Walmart to test tubes and beakers stolen from labs.”

First it was the scales and balances now test tubes!!!

[SMILLER 839]

Next thing you know drug campanies will be pushing opiods on docs so that patients become addicted to their product