Specimen Requirements

Container/Tube:

Preferred: Mint or Green-top (lithium heparin) tube. Serum is not acceptable.

Specimen Volume: 0.1 mL of heparinized plasma

Stability: Separate specimens within 2 hours of collection and should be analyzed immediately or kept at 2 – 8 °C and analyzed within 24 hours. For longer storage, samples may be frozen at -20 °C for up to 12 months. 

Transport:  Separated plasma (plasma separator or removed from cells) refrigerated.

Note: 1. Human anti-mouse antibodies or other heterophile antibodies may be present in patient specimens. This assay has been specially formulated to minimize the effects of these antibodies, however results from patients known to have these antibodies should be carefully evaluated.

2.  Specimens that contain biotin at a concentrationof 300 ng/mL demonstrate a less than 10% change in results.  Biotin concentrations greater than this may lead to falsely depressed results for patient samples.