SAC - Specimen Container Detail Segment

The container detail segment is the data necessary to maintain the containers that are being used throughout the Laboratory Automation System.

The specimens in many laboratories are transported and processed in containers (e.g., sample tubes). When SPM and SAC are used in the same message, then the conceptually duplicate attributes will be valued only in the SPM. This applies to SAC-6 Specimen Source, SAC-27 Additives, and SAC-43 Special Handling Considerations.

HL7 Attribute Table - SAC - Specimen Container Detail Segment

Seq#	Data Element Name	DataType	Usage	Vocabulary	Cardinality	Item #	Length	C.LEN	Flags
SAC
1	External Accession Identifier	EI	O		[0..1]	01329
2	Accession Identifier	EI	O		[0..1]	01330
3	Container Identifier	EI	C		[0..1]	01331
4	Primary	EI	C		[0..1]	01332
5	Equipment Container Identifier	EI	O		[0..1]	01333
6	Specimen Source		W		[0..1]	00249
7	Registration Date/Time	DTM	O		[0..1]	01334
8	Container Status	CWE	O	0370(R) Container Status(Required)	[0..1]	01335
9	Carrier Type	CWE	O	0378 Carrier Type	[0..1]	01336
10	Carrier Identifier	EI	O		[0..1]	01337
11	Position in Carrier	NA	O		[0..1]	01338
12	Tray Type – SAC	CWE	O	0379 Tray Type	[0..1]	01339
13	Tray Identifier	EI	O		[0..1]	01340
14	Position in Tray	NA	O		[0..1]	01341
15	Location	CWE	O	0774	[0..*]	01342
16	Container Height	NM	O		[0..1]	01343		10	#
17	Container Diameter	NM	O		[0..1]	01344		10	#
18	Barrier Delta	NM	O		[0..1]	01345		10	#
19	Bottom Delta	NM	O		[0..1]	01346		10	#
20	Container Height/Diameter/Delta Units	CWE	O	0775	[0..1]	01347
21	Container Volume	NM	O		[0..1]	00644
22	Available Specimen Volume	NM	O		[0..1]	01349		10	#
23	Initial Specimen Volume	NM	O		[0..1]	01350		10	#
24	Volume Units	CWE	O	0777	[0..1]	01351
25	Separator Type	CWE	O	0380 Separator Type	[0..1]	01352
26	Cap Type	CWE	O	0381 Cap Type	[0..1]	01353
27	Additive	CWE	O	0371(R) Additive/Preservative(Required)	[0..*]	00647
28	Specimen Component	CWE	O	0372(S) Specimen Component(Suggested)	[0..1]	01355
29	Dilution Factor	SN	O		[0..1]	01356
30	Treatment	CWE	O	0373(S) Treatment(Suggested)	[0..1]	01357
31	Temperature	SN	O		[0..1]	01358
32	Hemolysis Index	NM	O		[0..1]	01359		10	#
33	Hemolysis Index Units	CWE	O	0779	[0..1]	01360
34	Lipemia Index	NM	O		[0..1]	01361		10	#
35	Lipemia Index Units	CWE	O	0780	[0..1]	01362
36	Icterus Index	NM	O		[0..1]	01363		10	#
37	Icterus Index Units	CWE	O	0781	[0..1]	01364
38	Fibrin Index	NM	O		[0..1]	01365		10	#
39	Fibrin Index Units	CWE	O	0782	[0..1]	01366
40	System Induced Contaminants	CWE	O	0374 System Induced Contaminants	[0..*]	01367
41	Drug Interference	CWE	O	0382 Drug Interference	[0..*]	01368
42	Artificial Blood	CWE	O	0375 Artificial Blood	[0..1]	01369
43	Special Handling Code	CWE	O	0376(S) Special Handling Code(Suggested)	[0..*]	01370
44	Other Environmental Factors	CWE	O	0377 Other Environmental Factors	[0..*]	01371
45	Container Length	CQ	O		[0..1]	02496
46	Container Width	CQ	O		[0..1]	02497
47	Container Form	CWE	O	0967 Container Form	[0..1]	02498
48	Container Material	CWE	O	0968 Container Material	[0..1]	02499
49	Container Common Name	CWE	O	0969(S) Container Common Name(Suggested)	[0..1]	02500

SAC-1: External Accession Identifier (EI) 01329

Definition: This field identifies the laboratory accession (see section Glossary). This identifier is assigned by the external laboratory information system.

Example: If laboratory A sends a specimen to laboratory B, then within laboratory B this field contains accession identifier of lab A.

SAC-2: Accession Identifier (EI) 01330

Definition: This field identifies the laboratory accession (see section 13.2.3, "Glossary"). This identifier is assigned by the information system of the laboratory performing the tests.

An accession identifier can refer to more than one container. A Container Identifier (see below) is a Unique Identifier for that container.

SAC-3: Container Identifier (EI) 01331

Definition: This field identifies the container. This field is the container's unique identifier assigned by the corresponding equipment. A container may contain the primary (original) specimen or an aliquot (secondary sample) of that specimen. For primary sample this field contains Primary Container ID; for bar-coded aliquot samples this field contains Aliquot Container ID; for non-bar-coded aliquot samples (e.g., microtiter plate) this field is empty.⁹

The NCCLS standard requires a unique identifier for each container introduced into the Laboratory Automation System. The combination of the fields: Primary Container ID, Container ID, Carrier ID / Position, Tray ID / Position must identify the container uniquely within the LAS. The naturally best solution is unique machine-readable ID attached to the container (which of course is sufficient to ensure the uniqueness of the fields' combination). A bar code that symbolizes this ID should meet the proposed standard NCCLS AUTO2 (Laboratory Automation: Bar Codes for Specimen Container Identification).

SAC-4: Primary (EI) 01332

Definition: If this field is filled in, it identifies the primary container from which this specimen came. For primary samples this field is empty; for aliquot samples this field should contain the identifier of primary container.

SAC-5: Equipment Container Identifier (EI) 01333

Definition: This field identifies the container in a particular device (e.g., one container in a carousel or rack of containers within an analyzer, analyzer specific bar code mapping, etc.).

SAC-6: Specimen Source () 00249

Attention: This field was deprecated and retained for backward compatibilityonly as of v2.5 and withdrawn and removed as of v2.7.

SAC-7: Registration Date/Time (DTM) 01334

Definition: This field is the date/time that the container was last registered with the "automated system," e.g., reading of a container bar code by a device.

SAC-8: Container Status (CWE) 01335

Definition: This field identifies the status of the unique container in which the specimen resides at the time that the transaction was initiated. Refer to HL7 Table 0370 - Container Status in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for valid values. The equipment specific container status should be sent as <alternate identifier> as needed.

The container states are relevant for the exchange of information among devices (within the LAS). Not all of them are relevant for information transfer between the LAS and the LIS.

SAC-9: Carrier Type (CWE) 01336

Definition: This field identifies the type of the carrier (see section 13.2.3, "Glossary"). Refer to User-defined Table 0378 – Carrier Type in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for suggested values. Because the geometry can be different, the carrier type should, if possible, express the number of positions in the carrier.

The definition assumes hierarchical nesting using the following phrases: container is located in a carrier; carrier is located in a tray.

SAC-10: Carrier Identifier (EI) 01337

Definition: This field identifies the carrier. It is the ID (e.g., number or bar code) of the carrier where the container (e.g., tube) is located.

Example: A carrier could be a rack with single or multiple specimen containers. A carrier is usually used for automated specimen transport. Multiple carriers can be stacked in a tray, which is then used for manual or automatic transport.

SAC-11: Position in Carrier (NA) 01338

Definition: This field identifies the position of the container in the carrier (e.g., 1...3...). The sub-components allow, if necessary, to transfer multiple axis information, e.g., 2-dimensional carrier (X^Y).

SAC-12: Tray Type – SAC (CWE) 01339

Definition: This field identifies the type of the tray (see section 13.2.3, "Glossary"). Refer to User-defined Table 0379 – Tray Type in chapter 2C for suggested values. Because the geometry can be different, the tray type should if possible express the number of positions in the tray.

The definition assumes hierarchical nesting using the following phrases: container is located in a carrier, carrier is located in a tray.

SAC-13: Tray Identifier (EI) 01340

Definition: This field identifies the tray identifier (e.g., a number of a tray or a bar code on the tray) where the container carrier is located.

SAC-14: Position in Tray (NA) 01341

Definition: This field identifies the position of the carrier in the tray. The sub-components allow, if necessary, to transfer multiple axis information, e.g., 2-dimensional tray (X^Y).

SAC-15: Location (CWE) 01342

Definition: This field is the physical location that the specimen was at the time that the transaction was initiated. The location description can vary with the LAS. For example, it can be an X,Y,Z coordinate in a storage system; a refrigerator number and drawer number where the container-carrier-tray is located; or it can be the name of the institution and the laboratory which owns the container currently. The repeating of this field allows for hierarchical representation of location (lowest level first), e.g., shelf number, refrigerator storage id, lab name, institution name, etc. Refer to Table 0774 - Location in Chapter 2C for valid values.

SAC-16: Container Height (NM) 01343

Definition: This field identifies the height of the container in units specified below.

SAC-17: Container Diameter (NM) 01344

Definition: This field identifies the outside diameter of the container in units specified below. For non-cylindrical containers SAC-45 Container Length and SAC-46 Container Width may be used instead of SAC-17 Container Diameter.

SAC-18: Barrier Delta (NM) 01345

Definition: This field identifies the distance from the Point of Reference to the separator material (barrier) within the container in units specified below. This distance may be provided by the LAS to the instrument and/or specimen processing/handling device to facilitate the insertion of a sampling probe into the specimen without touching the separator. Refer to Point Of Reference definition in section Glossary or in NCCLS standard AUTO5 Laboratory Automation: Electromechanical Interfaces.

SAC-19: Bottom Delta (NM) 01346

Definition: This field identifies the distance from the Point of Reference to the outside bottom of the container in units specified below. Refer to Point Of Reference definition in section 13.2.3, "Glossary," or in NCCLS standard AUTO5 Laboratory Automation: Electromechanical Interfaces.

SAC-20: Container Height/Diameter/Delta Units (CWE) 01347

Definition: This field is the unit identifier that is being used to describe the diameter, height and deltas of the container. If the units are ISO+ units, they should be recorded as single case abbreviations. If the units are ANS+ or L (local), the units and the source code table must be recorded, except that in this case, component delimiters should be replaced by subcomponent delimiters. The default unit is millimeters (mm), which should be assumed if no units are reported. Refer to Table 0775 - Container Height/Diameter/Delta Units in Chapter 2C for valid values.

SAC-21: Container Volume (NM) 00644

Definition: This field indicates the capacity of the container in the units specified below.

SAC-22: Available Specimen Volume (NM) 01349

Definition: This field identifies the current specimen volume available for use in this container in the units specified below.

SAC-23: Initial Specimen Volume (NM) 01350

Definition: This field identifies the volume of the specimen initially filled in this container in the units specified below.

SAC-24: Volume Units (CWE) 01351

Definition: This field is the unit identifier that is being used to describe the volume of the container. If the units are ISO+ units, they should be recorded as single case abbreviations. The default unit is milliliters (ml), which should be assumed if no units are reported. Refer to Table 0777 - Volume Units in Chapter 2C for valid values.

SAC-25: Separator Type (CWE) 01352

Definition: This field identifies the type of the separator that is being used (e.g., gel separator in the container – not to be confused with the communication separators). Refer to User-defined Table 0380 – SeparatorType in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for suggested values. It is recommended that the first table entry be "NO" meaning "No Separator."

SAC-26: Cap Type (CWE) 01353

Definition: This field indicates the type of cap that is to be used with this container for decapping, piercing or other mechanisms. Refer to User-defined Table 0381 – Cap Type in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for suggested values.

SAC-27: Additive (CWE) 00647

Definition: This field identifies any additives introduced to the specimen before or at the time of collection. These additives may be introduced in order to preserve, maintain or enhance the particular nature or component of the specimen. It is a repetitive field. Refer to HL7 Table 0371 – Additive/Preservative for valid values. 'The value set can be extended with user specific values.

When the SPM (Specimen) segment is sent together with the SAC segment the additive attribute value from the SPM segment can be included in this field of the SAC.

SAC-28: Specimen Component (CWE) 01355

Definition: This field identifies the specimen component, e.g., supernatant, sediment, etc. Refer to User-defined Table 0372 – Specimen Component in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for valid values. This table's values are taken from NCCLS AUTO4. The value set can be extended with user specific values.

SAC-29: Dilution Factor (SN) 01356

Definition: This field identifies the factor of dilution already performed on the specimen. The equipment entity that changes the dilution is responsible for sending this information to other equipment. If the endogenous content of the test (analyte) in the diluent is required for the calculation of the test (analyte) concentration, then the test (analyte) specific values should be exchanged between the systems via Master Files or other means.

Examples of use:

|^1^:^5|    - means dilution 1 to 5, i.e., 1 part sample, 4 parts diluent

|^1^+|    - sample is diluted, but the factor is unknown

|^1^:^1|    - not diluted sample

||    - dilution not changed

SAC-30: Treatment (CWE) 01357

Definition: This field identifies the specimen treatment performed during lab processing. Refer to User-defined Table 0373 – Treatment in chapter 2C for valid values. This table's values are taken from NCCLS AUTO4. The value set can be extended with user specific values.

SAC-31: Temperature (SN) 01358

Definition: This field identifies the specimen temperature in degrees Celsius [°C] at the time of the transaction specified in the EQU segment.

SAC-32: Hemolysis Index (NM) 01359

Definition: This field is the index identifier that is being used to describe the Hemolysis Index of the specimen.

SAC-33: Hemolysis Index Units (CWE) 01360

Definition: This field is the unit's identifier that is being used to describe the Hemolysis Index of the specimen. It is recommended to use g/L. (The transmission of the index values is added here instead of the original use of the OBX segments, because the frequency of the transfer of the specimen details justifies use of more efficient mechanism.) Refer to Table 0779 - Hemolysis Index Units in Chapter 2C for valid values.

If this field is null, the recommended value is assumed.

SAC-34: Lipemia Index (NM) 01361

Definition: This field is the index identifier that is being used to describe the Lipemia Index of the specimen. It is recommended to use the optical turbidity at 600 nm (in absorbance units).

SAC-35: Lipemia Index Units (CWE) 01362

Definition: This field is the unit's identifier that is being used to describe the Lipemia Index of the specimen. Refer to Table 0780 - Lipemia Index Units in Chapter 2C for valid values.

If this field is null, the recommended value is assumed.

SAC-36: Icterus Index (NM) 01363

Definition: This field is the index identifier that is being used to describe the Icterus Index of the specimen.

SAC-37: Icterus Index Units (CWE) 01364

Definition: This field is the unit's identifier that is being used to describe the Icterus Index of the specimen. It is recommended to use mMol/L of bilirubin. Refer to Table 0781 - Icterus Index Units in Chapter 2C for valid values.

If this field is null, the recommended value is assumed.

SAC-38: Fibrin Index (NM) 01365

Definition: This field is the index identifier that is being used to describe the Fibrin Index of the specimen. In the case of only differentiating between Absent and Present, we recommend using 0 and 1 respectively and send the field Fibrin Index Units null.

SAC-39: Fibrin Index Units (CWE) 01366

Definition: This field is the unit's identifier that is being used to describe the Fibrin Index of the specimen. Refer to Table 0782 - Fibrin Index Units in Chapter 2C for valid values.

SAC-40: System Induced Contaminants (CWE) 01367

Definition: This field describes the specimen contaminant identifier that is associated with the specimen in this container. Refer to User-defined Table 0374 – System Induced Contaminants in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for valid values. This table's values are taken from NCCLS AUTO4. The value set can be extended with user specific values.

SAC-41: Drug Interference (CWE) 01368

Definition: This field describes the drug interference identifier that is associated with the specimen. Refer to User-defined Table 0382 – Drug Interference in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for suggested values.

SAC-42: Artificial Blood (CWE) 01369

Definition: This field describes the artificial blood identifier that is associated with the specimen. Refer to User-defined Table 0375 – Artificial Blood in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for valid values. This table's values are taken from NCCLS AUTO4. The value set can be extended with user specific values.

SAC-43: Special Handling Code (CWE) 01370

Definition: This field describes any special handling considerations that are associated with the specimen in the specific container (e.g., centrifugation). This describes how the specimen needs to be stored during collection, in transit, and upon receipt. Refer to User-defined Table 0376 – Special Handling Code in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for valid values. 'The value set can be extended with user specific values.

SAC-44: Other Environmental Factors (CWE) 01371

Definition: This field describes other environmental factors that are associated with the specimen in a specific container, e.g., atmospheric exposure. Refer to User-defined Table 0377 – Other Environmental Factors in Chapter 2C, Code Tables, for valid values. This table's values are taken from NCCLS AUTO4. The value set can be extended with user specific values.

SAC-45: Container Length (CQ) 02496

Definition: This field describes the longest horizontal measurement of the container, for non-cylindrical containers. For cylindrical containers SAC-17 Container Diameter may be used instead of SAC-45 Container Length and SAC-46 Container Width.

SAC-46: Container Width (CQ) 02497

Definition: This field desrcibes the distance from side to side, measuring across the object at right angles to the length, for non-cylindrical containers. For cylindrical containers SAC-17 Container Diameter may be used instead of SAC-45 Container Length and SAC-46 Container Width.

SAC-47: Container Form (CWE) 02498

Definition: This field is the coded representation of the format or type of the container (e.g. tube/vial, jar, bag, block, slide, etc.). Refer to User-Defined Table 0967 for suggested values.

SAC-48: Container Material (CWE) 02499

Definition: This field is the coded representation of the material composition (i.e. physical substance) of the container and may be considered to modify for further describe SAC-47 (Container Form). It may also indicate a virtual container in the cases of digitized specimens (e.g. scans obtained by whole slide imaging techniques, etc.). Refer to User-Defined Table 0968 for suggested values.

SAC-49: Container Common Name (CWE) 02500

Definition: This field is a coded representation of the way the container type is commonly referenced in an organization, in order to aid in ensuring the appropriate container is used. Examples include “Red Top” (for tubes/vials), “Wet Mount” (for slides), etc. Frequently these values will be locally defined and meaning may vary by supplier. Refer to User-Defined Table 0969 for suggested values.

In many cases this is a shorthand way to express a combination of other container attributes, for example the combination of SAC-47 (Container Form) of “Tube/vial” + SAC-48 (Container Material) of “Glass” + SAC-27 (Additive) of “EDTA” may be referenced commonly in an organization as a “Lavender Top”.