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
1Contact the laboratory for special sample tubes/containers/instructions.
2Confirmation of not negative drug screens by LC-MS/MS may take up to 5 days.
3Clinical history essential and protect from light.
4Send to the laboratory same day.
5Do not send sample to the laboratory between Friday noon and Monday morning.
6Contact the Referrals Department before taking and sending sample to the laboratory.
7Sample should be separated and frozen if sending overnight.
8DRP Form required. DRP Form can be found at the back of the guide.
9Clinical history must be provided.
10Contact 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).
11Patient consent required. See Request forms
12Please provide one sample for each person being tested.
13Protect from light.
14Provide details of travel history.
15Ammonia
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.
16Lactate
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.
17Homocysteine
Should be spun and separated within 1 hour of venepuncture.
18Citrate 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.
19Must include patient’s age, height and weight.
20Sample types: FCRU or PCR swab or TPV or Semen.
21Urine cytology container, ideally first catch, mid-morning specimen.
22Must be fresh.
23For Fabry’s Syndrome
24Anti-malarial drug.
25Includes: potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper, selenium.
26Tests for active metabolite 10-Hydroxycarbazepine.
27Hereditary Neuropathy.
28VDRL and VDRL/TPHA have now been replaced by Syphilis IgG/IgM.
29Optional PAP Smear as additional test
30Collect sample at end of exposure.
31At end of shift.
32Avoid seafood and fish for 2-3 days before collection.
33Sample 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.
34Samples must arrive in the laboratory on the same day of sample taking or contact the laboratory.
35Patient should be fasting and resting for 30 mins before sample taking. Samples need handling urgently.
36Renin: Sample collected either upright/active or resting/supine (3 hours lying). EDTA Plasma must be frozen within 2 hours.
37Provide sample time and date of collection.
38EDTA sample should not be separated: send whole blood.
39Urgent samples have a 3 day TAT if genotype is required for prenatal diagnosis or two weeks TAT if urgent for other factors.
40Informed Consent is required for these tests. 
41Recommendation for patient to attend Patient Reception for sample taking.
42LGV can be added to a positive chlamydia sample using the same swab if requested within 4 days of receipt of result.
43Please contact info@whitecrossclinics.com for details for referring samples to the laboratory for sequencing testing.
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