Metro Flexline & Lifeline Carts for Hospital Labs
A practical guide to Metro Flexline phlebotomy, specimen and procedure carts and Lifeline emergency carts for hospital and clinical labs — body size, drawers, locks and accessories — then design and price your cart online.
Why Labs Specify Flexline Differently From the Nursing Floor
Most medical carts are bought for nursing units: crash carts, medication carts and procedure carts that stay on a floor. Hospital and clinical labs use carts differently. A phlebotomy cart travels for most of a shift, visiting rooms on several floors, an outpatient draw station or a satellite clinic. A specimen-processing cart lives beside a centrifuge or accessioning bench. A point-of-care testing cart carries meters, controls and consumables that must be tracked. Each of those jobs puts weight on different features: corridor width, drawer depth, lock behaviour and how the cart is cleaned.
Metro Flexline suits this because it is a modular platform rather than a fixed package. Body height, body width, drawer mix, lock type and side-rail accessories are chosen separately, so the same family can become a phlebotomy cart, a procedure cart in a draw room, or a secure cart for controlled reagents. Lifeline is Metro’s emergency-cart family; it shares many of the same drawers, seals and accessories, which helps when a lab or outpatient area needs a code cart that matches the rest of the fleet.
Labs USA supplies Metro carts to hospital labs, reference labs, clinics and research facilities from Salt Lake City. This page is the Metro-specific guide; for crash, isolation, medication and supply carts from several manufacturers, see our medical carts page. When you are ready, the Metro Medical Carts configurator checks every configuration rule and saves a shareable quote.
Specifying a Flexline Phlebotomy Cart
Phlebotomy carts carry tubes, needles, holders, tourniquets, gauze, labels, gloves and a sharps container, and they need to be restocked quickly between rounds. The questions that decide the specification are about travel, reach and security rather than raw capacity.
1. Start with corridor and room clearance. Choose a narrow body when the cart must squeeze between a bed and a wall or through a crowded outpatient waiting area. A narrow body also turns more tightly in an elevator.
2. Use shallow drawers for small items. Tubes, caps, labels and needles belong in 3 inch drawers in a single visible layer, with dividers that give each tube type its own lane. Deeper drawers are for gloves, gauze and bulk refills.
3. Plan the top and side rails. A covered utility bin keeps supplies clean between rooms; a sharps bracket keeps the container at hand height; a label or tape dispenser saves a reach into a drawer.
4. Choose a lock that relocks itself. A cart left in a hallway should not stay open. Keyless touchpads with auto-lock let phlebotomists open the cart with gloved hands and re-secure it automatically.
Specimen-processing and accessioning carts sit still, so they can use a wider or taller body and deeper drawers for tube racks, transport bags and requisition forms. Point-of-care testing carts often add a pull-out shelf and a power strip for meters and a small printer.
Flexline Body Sizes
Flexline bodies come in 36, 39, 42 and 45 inch heights in a standard or narrow width. The usable drawer space is roughly the body height minus about 15 inches, so a 39 inch body leaves about 24 inches of drawers and a 45 inch body leaves about 30 inches. Phlebotomy teams often pick a 39 or 42 inch narrow body: tall enough to use the top as a worksurface while labelling tubes, short enough to see over while pushing.
Standard key-lock body
General use body with a central key lock for supply and processing carts.
Narrow body
For phlebotomy rounds, treatment rooms and tight draw bays.
Tall passive-seal body
Deepest drawer stack with breakaway-seal tamper evidence.
| Body height | Approx. drawer space | Typical lab use |
|---|---|---|
| 36 in | About 21 in | Bench-side processing, seated work |
| 39 in | About 24 in | Phlebotomy rounds, draw stations |
| 42 in | About 27 in | Procedure and point-of-care carts |
| 45 in | About 30 in | Supply-heavy or reagent carts |
Drawers, Dividers and Organisation
Drawers come in 3, 6, 9 and 12 inch heights, and the stack must add up to the available drawer space exactly — no gaps and no overhang. That rule is the most common reason a hand-built cart quote is wrong.
Each drawer height has its own load rating, so heavy items such as saline, tube racks or bulk gloves belong in the lower 9 or 12 inch drawers, never in a 3 inch drawer near the top. A typical phlebotomy schedule on a 39 inch body might be four 3 inch drawers for tubes, needles and labels, one 6 inch drawer for tourniquets and gauze, and a 6 inch drawer for gloves and refills — exactly 24 inches.
Dividers matter as much as drawers. Divider kits split drawers into fixed compartments or adjustable lanes so every item has a labelled home, which is what makes a restock checklist work. Order dividers with the drawers, because kit sizes follow drawer height.
Drawer pulls are colour-coded. A lab can use one colour for phlebotomy carts and another for processing carts, so carts that share a corridor are never mixed up. Label holders on each drawer front make the restock list visible without opening the cart.
If the cart carries anything that must be controlled — certain reagents, controlled substances in an outpatient procedure room or high-value point-of-care consumables — specify an individually locking 3 inch drawer inside the main lock.
Lock and Access Options
The lock is a policy decision, not a hardware afterthought. Ask who must open the cart, whether you need a record of each opening, and how fast access must be in an emergency.
| Lock level | How it works | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| None or open | No lock | Isolation and PPE carts | Not for anything controlled |
| Key lock | Central keyed lock | Low-risk processing and supply carts | Key control across shifts |
| Passive breakaway seal | Numbered plastic seal shows tampering | Emergency carts and kits | No access record |
| Basic keyless touchpad | PIN entry with auto lock | Phlebotomy carts used with gloves | Manage PIN changes |
| Advanced LCD touchpad | Multiple user PINs and audit trail | Carts with controlled items | Needed for electronic narcotic drawer |
Electronic locks and the narcotic drawer have dependencies. On Flexline, electronic keypads mount on the key-lock body, and the electronically locking narcotic drawer needs the LCD touchpad. Order a passive-seal body with an electronic lock and the build will not work. The configurator flags that combination before you can add it to a quote.
For phlebotomy, an auto-relock interval of a minute or two is usually enough to keep a cart secure in a corridor without frustrating staff in a patient room.
Where a single drawer holds controlled items, the individually locking narcotic drawer adds a second layer inside the main lock. Pair it with the LCD touchpad so every opening is logged against a user code.
Lifeline Emergency Carts in Lab and Outpatient Areas
Outpatient draw stations, donor centers and lab areas that see patients usually need access to an emergency cart. Metro Lifeline carts are built for that job: a breakaway-seal body, drawers organised around a code-response layout, and accessories such as a defibrillator shelf, oxygen tank holder and CPR board.
Because Lifeline shares drawers, dividers, seal lock bars and many side-rail accessories with Flexline, a lab can keep one parts list and one set of restock procedures across its phlebotomy carts and its emergency cart. Individual drawer seal lock bars and numbered plastic seals show at a glance whether the cart has been opened since its last check.
Your resuscitation committee or medical director sets what goes in the cart and how often it is checked. We configure the hardware to that list.
Accessories That Make a Lab Cart Work
Sharps bracket
Holds the sharps container at hand height on the side rail.
Power strip
Runs meters, scanners and label printers on point-of-care carts.
Pull-out shelf
A slide-out writing surface for requisitions and labels.
Other common lab accessories include a pull-out writing shelf for requisitions, a glove-box holder, a wire supply basket, a monitor or tablet mount for specimen labelling, and an IV pole for outpatient procedure rooms. Accessories mount on the side rails, so plan which side faces the patient and which faces the corridor before you place them.
Design & price it online: Metro Medical Carts configurator. Pick Flexline or Lifeline, choose body height and width, build the drawer stack, select a lock and add accessories; the configurator enforces the drawer-sum and lock rules and saves a quote you can share with your lab manager. Open the Metro Medical Carts configurator or browse every tool in the Metro configurator hub.
Planning a Lab Cart Fleet
- Count carts by job: rounds, draw stations, processing, point-of-care and emergency
- Measure the tightest corridor, doorway and elevator each cart must use
- List the supplies each cart carries and the par level for each
- Decide lock level by contents, not by habit
- Choose drawer pull colours and labels so carts are never mixed up
- Confirm cleaning products and methods with your infection-prevention team
- Plan spare carts for repair and cleaning rotation
We are glad to review a supply list and a floor plan and suggest a configuration before you price anything. Most lab teams find that standardising on two or three Flexline builds simplifies training, restocking and spare parts.
Cleaning, Restocking and Fleet Care
Lab carts are touched by many hands every shift, so cleaning and restocking routines decide whether a cart stays useful. Flexline bodies and drawers are polymer, which wipes down easily with the disinfectants most hospitals already use. Confirm the products and contact times with your infection-prevention team, and avoid abrasive pads that dull the surface.
Build a restock checklist from the drawer layout and the divider lanes: every lane gets a label, a par quantity and a reorder point. Phlebotomy carts are usually restocked at the end of each round; processing carts once per shift. When the checklist matches the cart, a new staff member can restock without help, and missing items are obvious at a glance.
Plan for spares. A fleet with one extra phlebotomy cart lets you pull a cart for cleaning, repair or a lock change without leaving a round short. Keep a small stock of seals, drawer pulls, label holders and divider inserts so routine wear never takes a cart out of service.
Finally, review the fleet once a year. Draw volumes, test menus and outpatient hours change, and a cart built three years ago may no longer fit the work. Because Flexline is modular, many changes are a drawer swap or an accessory, not a new cart.
Related Pages
- Metro Medical Carts configurator — design and price Flexline and Lifeline carts online
- Metro configurator hub — all 17 Metro online configurators
- Medical carts — carts from several manufacturers
- Metro Supply Carts configurator — case carts, exchange carts and SPD storage
- Metro Utility Carts configurator — lab and utility carts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Metro cart for phlebotomy?
A narrow Flexline body, often 39 or 42 inches tall, with shallow 3 inch drawers and dividers for tubes and labels, a covered utility bin, a sharps bracket and a keyless touchpad with auto lock.
What body heights does Flexline come in?
Flexline bodies come in 36, 39, 42 and 45 inch heights, in standard or narrow widths. Usable drawer space is roughly the body height minus about 15 inches.
What drawer sizes are available?
Drawers come in 3, 6, 9 and 12 inch heights. The drawer stack must fill the available drawer space exactly.
What is the difference between Flexline and Lifeline?
Flexline is Metro’s configurable general-use, procedure and specialty cart platform. Lifeline is the emergency-cart family. They share many drawers, seals and accessories.
Can a Flexline cart track who opened it?
Yes. The advanced LCD keyless touchpad supports multiple user codes and an access record, and it is required for the electronically locking narcotic drawer.
Can I design and price a Flexline cart online?
Yes. The Metro Medical Carts configurator validates the drawer stack, lock and accessories and saves a shareable quote. Or call (800) 326-4403.
Do you supply labs outside Utah?
Yes. Labs USA is based in Salt Lake City and ships Metro carts to hospital and clinical labs across the region and beyond.
Configuring carts for your lab?
Design them in the Metro Medical Carts configurator, or send us your supply list and we will recommend a build. Call (800) 326-4403 or request a quote online.