HOMOCYSTEINE,SERUM
Test:
162
CPT:
83090
Synonyms
Special Instructions
Expected Turnaround Time
1 – 2 days
Specimen Requirements
Specimen
1 – 2 days
Volume
2 mL
Minimum Volume
1 mL
Container
Lavender-top (EDTA) tube, green-top (heparin) tube, red-top tube, or gel-barrier tube
Collection
Plasma: It is important to centrifuge blood samples for plasma collection immediately after collection to separate the plasma from the blood cells. If immediate centrifugation is not possible, collected blood specimens should be kept on ice and centrifuged within an hour.
Serum:Allow 45 minutes for serum to clot and centrifuge to separate serum from cells immediately thereafter.
Storage Instructions
Room temperature. Stable at room temperature or refrigerated for 14 days. Stable frozen for six months.
Causes for Rejection
Specimen received not separated from cells (do not respin a gel-barrier tube to harvest additional serum); gross hemolysis (eg, bright red or cherry red); whole blood tube without a gel separator; plasma from a light blue-top (sodium citrate) tube or yellow-top (ACD) tube used for coagulation studies (liquid citrate tubes have a dilutional effect of approximately 1.2 on this assay and are not approved for use); gross lipemia
Test Details
Use
Screen patients who may be at risk for heart disease and stroke