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Test Code VANCO Vancomycin, Random, LAB40

Performing Laboratory

St. Luke's Hospital Cedar Rapids

Specimen Requirements

Container/Tube:

Preferred: Green-top (lithium heparin) tube

Acceptable: Gold-top serum gel tube, plain red-top tube, or EDTA plasma

Specimen Volume: A minimum volume of 1.3 µL plus a dead volume

Stability: Specimen stability is 48 hours capped at 15-25 ⁰C, 14 days capped at 2-8 ⁰C, or 12 months capped at -20 ⁰C. Do not induce foaming in specimens. Specimens can be frozen and thawed up to 5 times.

Collection Instructions: Random vancomycin level should be ordered when patient is on 1 dose per day therapy.

Note: 1. Vancomycin time to steady state is after 20 to 30 hours of chronic dosing.

          2. Levels may be ordered any time toxicity is suspected.

 

Reference Values

No established reference values

Day(s) Test Set Up

Monday through Sunday

Useful For

Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic, which is bactericidal against many gram-positive and some gram-negative cocci. It is useful in therapy of severe staphylococcal (including methicillin-resistant staphylococci) infections in patients who cannot receive or who have failed to respond to the penicillins and cephalosporins.

 

Strong correlations have been shown between serum levels of vancomycin and both therapeutic effect and toxicity in specific patient types.

Methodology

Turbidimetric Inhibition Immunoassay based on the kinetic interaction of microparticles in a solution (KIMS).

Test Classification and CPT Coding

80202

Report Available

STAT within 1 hour of receipt. Routine within 2 hours of receipt.