Specimen Requirements

Container Type: Lithium Heparin (Green Top) or Serum Separator (Gold Top)
Specimen Type: Plasma or Serum
Preferred Volume: 1 mL
Emergency Minimum Volume: 0.3 mL
Collection Procedure: Avoid hemolysis
Specimen Processing: Separate serum or plasma from cells as soon as possible by centrifugation. Store and transport room temperature.
Unacceptable Conditions: Hemolyzed specimens
Limitations: Add-on requests for this test will contain the following disclaimer if sample has been refrigerated.  St. Charles refrigerates chemistry samples for storage. "In connection with certain diseases (e.g.hepatopathy, diseases of skeletal muscle, malignant tumors), the LDH-4 and LDH-5 isoenzyme portions are increased and unstable in cooled samples. This test has been added to a previously cooled sample, please note this may lead to an incorrect LDH value in patients suffering from such diseases."

Alternate Specimens: Plain Serum Tube (Red Top)

Stability: