Specimen Requirements
Minimum of 1.0 mL plasma
Supplies for Submission
Green Top Lithium heparin (1)
Specimen Collection
For patients receiving therapy with high biotin doses (> 5 mg/day), wait for at least 8 hours following the last biotin administration before collecting samples.
- Centrifuge within 24 hours of collection and separate plasma from cells.
- Label a plastic transport tube with two identifiers. Acceptable identifiers include patient’s name, date of birth, social security number, requisition number, and medical record number.
Label the tube as lithium heparin plasma. - Transfer plasma to the tube and freeze - send this aliquot separately when multiple tests are ordered.
Storage Requirements
Critical Frozen (CFZ)
Causes for Rejections
Specimens with the following conditions are not accepted:
- hemolysis
- lipemia
- serum
- submitted in postassium oxalate (black top) or sodium fluoride (gray top) tubes