11 days
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
Causes for Rejection:
Specimen thawed or not frozen; grossly lipemic or grossly hemolyzed specimen
Accredited Laboratory Partner
Essential fatty acid analysis is useful in nutritional monitoring of patients with known essential fatty acid disorders or routine nutritional monitoring for intake and absorption of essential fatty acids.
Serum (preferred) or plasma, frozen
0.5 mL
Preferred: Plastic tube containing frozen serum obtained from a plain red-top blood collection tube Acceptable: Plastic tube containing frozen serum obtained from gel-separated (SST) tube, frozen plasma obtained from EDTA lavender top tube or frozen plas
Patients should fast overnight (12-14 hours). Please note: Infants and individuals suspected of having a fatty acid oxidation disorder should not fast prior to testing because of the risk of acute metabolic decompensation. For these patients, collect the
Collect sample by venipuncture into an appropriate blood collection tube (red-top blood collection tube is preferred) and mix immediately by gentle inversion. Allow serum samples to clot for at least 10 minutes. Separate plasma/serum from red cells by centrifugation within 45 minutes of collection. Transfer serum or plasma to a plastic transport tube and freeze.
To avoid delays in turnaround time when requesting multiple tests on frozen specimens, please submit separate frozen specimens for each test requested.
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Frozen | Red-top serum: <-10°C for 31 days Red-top serum: <-70°C for 54 days Lithium heparin plasma, sodium heparin plasma, EDTA plasma and gel-separated serum: <-10°C for 30 days |