10 days
Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS)
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Measures plasma amino acids to detect metabolic disorders. Used in diagnosing inborn errors of metabolism like PKU or urea cycle defects.
Plasma
0.5 mL
Preferred: Frozen Plasma from green-top (sodium heparin) tube. Acceptable: Frozen Plasma from green-top (lithium heparin) tube, frozen Plasma from lavender-top (EDTA) tube.
No special preparation is required for this test. You may eat, drink, and take your medications as normal, unless instructed otherwise by your healthcare provider.
Collect specimen and place on wet ice. Centrifuge immediately or within 2 hours of collection if the specimen is kept at refrigerated temperature. Being careful to ensure that no buffy coat is transferred, aliquot plasma into a plastic vial and freeze.
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Frozen | 14 days |