Special Instructions
Tests displayed on this website may display numbers in square brackets after the sample type required. These numbers relate to special instructions, see below a guide for each instruction.
Code
Instructions
| 1 | Contact the laboratory for special sample tubes/containers/instructions. |
| 2 | Confirmation of not negative drug screens by LC-MS/MS may take up to 5 days. |
| 3 | Clinical history essential and protect from light. |
| 4 | Send to the laboratory same day. |
| 5 | Do not send sample to the laboratory between Friday noon and Monday morning. |
| 6 | Contact the Referrals Department before taking and sending sample to the laboratory. |
| 7 | Sample should be separated and frozen if sending overnight. |
| 8 | DRP Form required. DRP Form can be found at the back of the guide. |
| 9 | Clinical history must be provided. |
| 10 | Contact the laboratory for special stability tubes for lymphocyte subsets – or take an EDTA sample and ensure same day delivery to the laboratory, Monday to Friday noon (do not send sample between Friday noon and Monday morning). |
| 11 | Patient consent required. See Request forms |
| 12 | Please provide one sample for each person being tested. |
| 13 | Protect from light. |
| 14 | Provide details of travel history. |
| 15 | Ammonia Sample: EDTA plasma only. Full tubes and tightly stoppered. On ice, centrifuged and analysed 20-30 mins post venepuncture (or plasma can be frozen). If haemolysed gives falsely high results. Patient: Fasting. Avoid smoking. |
| 16 | Lactate Sample: Fluoride oxalate plasma only. On ice and separate from cells 15-30 mins, analyse promptly. Handle with care as sweat contains large amounts of lactate. No tourniquet. Patient: Rest 30 mins prior to test. |
| 17 | Homocysteine Should be spun and separated within 1 hour of venepuncture. |
| 18 | Citrate Samples Samples should be double spun and separated and frozen within 4-8 hours of sample taking, if a delay is expected with transportation to the laboratory, samples must be transported as frozen. |
| 19 | Must include patient’s age, height and weight. |
| 20 | Sample types: FCRU or PCR swab or TPV or Semen. |
| 21 | Urine cytology container, ideally first catch, mid-morning specimen. |
| 22 | Must be fresh. |
| 23 | For Fabry’s Syndrome |
| 24 | Anti-malarial drug. |
| 25 | Includes: potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper, selenium. |
| 26 | Tests for active metabolite 10-Hydroxycarbazepine. |
| 27 | Hereditary Neuropathy. |
| 28 | VDRL and VDRL/TPHA have now been replaced by Syphilis IgG/IgM. |
| 29 | Optional PAP Smear as additional test |
| 30 | Collect sample at end of exposure. |
| 31 | At end of shift. |
| 32 | Avoid seafood and fish for 2-3 days before collection. |
| 33 | Sample must be labelled by hand with first name, family name, gender and date of birth detailed on sample and form. Do not use labels other than the tube label. |
| 34 | Samples must arrive in the laboratory on the same day of sample taking or contact the laboratory. |
| 35 | Patient should be fasting and resting for 30 mins before sample taking. Samples need handling urgently. |
| 36 | Renin: Sample collected either upright/active or resting/supine (3 hours lying). EDTA Plasma must be frozen within 2 hours. |
| 37 | Provide sample time and date of collection. |
| 38 | EDTA sample should not be separated: send whole blood. |
| 39 | Urgent samples have a 3 day TAT if genotype is required for prenatal diagnosis or two weeks TAT if urgent for other factors. |
| 40 | Informed Consent is required for these tests. |
| 41 | Recommendation for patient to attend Patient Reception for sample taking. |
| 42 | LGV can be added to a positive chlamydia sample using the same swab if requested within 4 days of receipt of result. |
| 43 | Please contact info@whitecrossclinics.com for details for referring samples to the laboratory for sequencing testing. |