Sterile inside.
Every tube.
Each tube is gamma-irradiated with Cobalt-60 after it is sealed and packed. The rays pass through the carton, stopper and wall, so the inside stays sterile until the moment of collection.
- Sterility assurance
- 10−6
- Minimum dose
- 25 kGy
- Chemical residue
- None
Every 3 kGy of gamma dose removes 9 in 10 remaining germs. At 25 kGy the chance of a single survivor is below one in a million.
From a hundred germs to one in a million.
Radiation removes germs in steps. Every 3 kGy, nine out of ten survivors are gone. Scroll to raise the dose.
A clean tube still carries life.
Even with careful manufacturing, a tube can hold a few germs from the environment. Here we assume 100.
Nine in ten are gone.
Gamma rays break the germs' DNA, so they cannot grow.
One survivor left.
On average one germ remains. Not good enough to call the tube sterile.
Too few to count.
Now the question is how many tubes you would need to check to find a single survivor. About a thousand.
One in a million, or better.
At the validated dose, the chance of any germ surviving is below one in a million. That is what the STERILE R symbol on every DBO label means.
Same blood. Different tube.
Plate the inside of a non-sterile tube and a DBO tube, then incubate. In a blood culture, anything that grows is reported as the patient's infection.
Looks clean.
Nothing visible before incubation.
Sterile inside.
Probability of a surviving germ below 10⁻⁶.
Sterility protects the result, and the patient.
Four reasons laboratories choose gamma sterile tubes.
Fewer false-positive cultures.
Germs that arrive with the tube can grow and be read as bloodstream infection. That means repeat draws, unnecessary antibiotics and longer hospital stays.
Safe if blood flows back.
In a vacuum system, blood can briefly flow back toward the vein. A sterile inside removes that route.
Cleaner PCR.
Less risk of microbial DNA entering samples for PCR, viral load and sequencing.
No chemical residue.
Gamma adds nothing to the tube. Gas sterilization with ethylene oxide leaves residues that must be tested.
Gamma vs. gas.
Why gamma suits evacuated tubes better than ethylene oxide.
Every lot is on record.
Enter the lot number from any DBO label to see its Certificate of Analysis.
Certificate of Quality
Every DBO lot is released with a Certificate of Quality approved by our Quality Assurance department. Enter the lot number to view, print or download it.
- Issued
- For each production lot
- Approved by
- Quality Assurance
- Sterility
- SAL 10−6, gamma irradiation
- Standards
- ISO 6710 · ISO 11137 · ISO 13485
What the certificate confirms
- Product reference, lot, manufacturing and expiry dates
- Visual, physical, chemical and microbial inspection results
- Sterility assurance level of 10−6
- Conformity with ISO 6710, EN 14820, ISO 11137, ISO 13485, ISO 9001 and Directive 98/79/EC
Validity
Each certificate applies only to the lot stated on it. Keep the PDF with your goods-receipt or audit records.
Other documents
For instructions for use, declarations of conformity, white papers, clinical validation and instrument compatibility, contact the technical team.
technical@drbloodo.com →Better samples start at the vein.
14 short, hands-on courses on venous and capillary collection, sample quality and safety, built on CLSI, WHO and EFLM guidance. Every course has learning objectives, a simulation and a knowledge check. Pass the final assessment to earn your certificate.
Every DBO tube type, in order of draw.
Tap a tube type to see its additive, use, inversions and every size we make, with product codes. The numbers show the order of draw.
Cap colours follow common practice; always confirm against the tube label and IFU.
An unexpected result? Trace it back.
Pick what the laboratory reported. See the collection and handling causes to check, most likely first.
The numbers to remember.
Release as soon as blood flows into the first tube.
Bevel up. 21–22G for most adult veins.
Clot-activator tubes, upright, before centrifuging.
Of the nominal volume, to keep the 1:9 ratio.
Spin serum and plasma within 2 hours of collection.
Stated by the patient, matched to wristband and form.
Train your whole team with us.
Our application specialists run on-site sessions, and the Academy courses are available as packages for your hospital's learning system.
Hands-on workshop
Venipuncture practice on training arms, order of draw, and your own analyser's sample requirements. 2–3 hours, up to 20 staff.
Learning system package
The Academy courses as SCORM packages, so you can assign and track them in your hospital's own learning system.
Wall charts and cards
Order-of-draw posters and pocket reference cards for collection rooms and wards.
technical@drbloodo.comQuestions answered, simply.
For white papers, clinical validation, IFUs and instrument compatibility, write to technical@drbloodo.com. Below that, short sections explain our range and how gamma sterilization works, most important first.
Get the documents you need.
Tick what you need and fill in a few details. We write the email for you; copy it and send it to the address shown.
technical@drbloodo.comThe full DBO range, searchable.
Evacuated PHLECOCUUM tubes, SCHRAUBE SAMMLUNG screw-cap tubes and SCHRAUBE MINI micro tubes. Quote the product code when you request documents.
| Cap | Code | Product | Line | Additive | Volume |
|---|
The rules we follow.
Tap a standard to see, in one line, what it covers.
Does gamma harm the tube?
No. Every part is tested after irradiation. Tap a part to see what we check.
Plastic tube (PET)
Rubber stopper
Separator gel
Clot activator
EDTA, citrate and fluoride
Heparin
Where the radiation comes from.
Cobalt-60 is a radioactive metal sealed inside steel rods. It gives off gamma rays: invisible, high-energy rays that pass straight through packaging.
Does every tube get enough?
Rays weaken as they travel through a carton, so the middle gets less than the sides. We irradiate from both sides and measure. Every tube must get at least 25 kGy, and no tube more than the limit. Try it.
Doses in kGy. Spread = highest ÷ lowest. Target: lowest ≥ 25, highest ≤ 45 (example limit).
How much dose makes a tube sterile?
Each step of dose removes 9 out of 10 remaining germs. "Sterile" means the chance of even one germ surviving is below one in a million (10⁻⁶). Move the sliders.
Simplified model for learning. Real dose setting follows ISO 11137-2 with tests on actual product.