Evaluation of Antipsychotic Drug Stability in Clinical Serum Samples from Blood Collection Tubes With and Without Separation Gel
By
Wenjuan Dong
Xin Cheng
Zhi Chu
Haifeng Zhang
Jing He
Xue Zhang
July 17, 2026
Clinical Scorecard: Evaluation of Antipsychotic Drug Stability in Clinical Serum Samples from Blood Collection Tubes With and Without Separation Gel
At a Glance
Category Detail
Condition Antipsychotic Drug Monitoring Key Mechanisms Adsorption-related drug loss associated with serum separator gel tubes Target Population Patients undergoing therapeutic drug monitoring for antipsychotics Care Setting Clinical laboratory settings
Key Highlights
Clozapine and aripiprazole showed lower concentrations in separation-gel tubes compared to non-gel tubes. Clozapine remained stable in non-gel tubes during refrigerated storage. Significant additional loss of clozapine in gel tubes observed on Day 7. Aripiprazole showed no further time-dependent loss in either tube type during storage. Most analytes showed no clinically relevant concentration loss during 7 days of refrigerated storage. Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Evaluate serum concentrations of antipsychotic drugs using appropriate collection tubes. Management
Consider using non-gel tubes for collecting serum samples for TDM of clozapine. Monitoring & Follow-up
Monitor drug concentrations closely, especially for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows. Risks
Pre-analytical errors due to adsorption in gel tubes can lead to misinterpretation of drug levels. Patient & Prescribing Data
Patients on antipsychotic medications requiring therapeutic drug monitoring.
Clozapine's stability is affected by the type of collection tube used.
Clinical Best Practices
Use non-gel tubes for serum collection when monitoring clozapine levels. Store serum samples in the dark at controlled temperatures to maintain stability. Regularly assess the impact of collection materials on drug concentration measurements. Related Resources & Content
