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Test Code LAB46 Ethyl Alcohol, Plasma or Serum

Reporting Title

Ethyl Alcohol

Methodology

Roche Diagnostics  at RMH, GMC, DH, DMH, GMH, GCMH, WECC, PMH, OBH, MGH, MH, HMH, SH

Note:  This test is for medical use only. No chain-of-custody for legal purposes.

 

VWH Lab Only:

ETOH reagent, when used in conjunction with SYNCHRON LX® System(s), UniCel® DxC 860i System(s) and SYNCHRON® Systems ETOH Calibrator, is intended for quantitative determination of ethyl alcohol concentration in human serum, plasma, urine, or treated whole blood.

Performing Laboratory

OhioHealth Laboratory Services- RMH, GMC, DH, DMH, GMH, MGH, HMH, OBH, MH, SH, GCMH, WECC, BH, PMC and VWH 

Specimen Requirements

Submit only 1 of the following specimens:

Preferred:

Plasma

Draw blood in a mint green-top (Lithium Heparin) gel tube(s). Spin down and send the entire spun tube for testing.  Do not open the tube and expose the sample to air.  Avoid hemolysis.

Also acceptable: grey-top (potassium oxalate/sodium fluoride) tube

 

Note:  1. Do not use alcohol or other volatile disinfectants to cleanse venipuncture site. Use aqueous ZEPHIRAN®, aqueous merthiolate, or povidone-iodine instead.

2. N-propanol and N-butanol will interfere with the assay.

3. Indicate plasma on request form.

4. Label specimen appropriately (plasma).

NOTE: Lithium Heparin and/or Sodium Heparin may be used on the Grady and the Marion Campus

Alternate:

Serum

Draw blood in a gold-top serum gel tube(s). Spin down and send the entire spun tube for testing.  Do not open and expose serum to air.  Avoid hemolysis.

Note:

1. Do not use alcohol or other volatile disinfectants to cleanse venipuncture site. Use aqueous ZEPHIRAN®, aqueous merthiolate, or povidone-iodine instead.

2. N-propanol and N-butanol will interfere with the assay.

3. A speckled-top serum gel tube (s) or a plain, red-top tube(s) is also acceptable.

3. Indicate serum on request form.

4. Label specimen appropriately (serum).

 

VWH Lab Only:

  • Tubes of blood are to be kept closed at all times and in a vertical position. It is recommended that the serum or plasma be physically separated from contact with cells within two hours from the time of collection.
  • Samples should be analyzed without delay and immediately after opening the sample tube. Precautions should be taken to prevent alcohol evaporation from calibrators, controls and samples.
  • Do not freeze. Ambient specimens are stable for 8 hrs and refrigerated samples are stable for 48 hrs. 

 

 

Roche Specimen Stability Information

Specimen Type Temperature Time
Serum or plasma Refrigerated 2 weeks tightly closed
  Ambient  2 days tightly closed
  Frozen  4 weeks tightly closed

 

Specimen Transport Temperature

Refrigerate: OK

Ambient NO

Frozen NO

Reference Values

Less than 10 mg/dL

Critical value   >400 mg/dL

Alerting category: first instance within 1 hour

 

VWH Lab Only:

Normal range: < 10 mg/dl

Levels of 300 mg/dL (65.1 mmol/L) have been reported to cause coma, and levels of ≥ 400 mg/dL (86.8 mmol/L) may cause death.

Day(s) Test Set Up

Monday through Sunday; Continuously

 

Test Classification and CPT Coding

82077