Clinical Pathology Laboratory - Chemistry Protocols

See the protocol for large volume specimens below.

Small volume biochemical profile: Collection protocols for small volume specimens (mice, rats, rabbits, etc.)

Instrument:

Beckman Coulter AU480; Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA

Sample Requirements:

Blood should be collected into plain red top tubes with no additive or gel separator.  Following collection, blood should be allowed to clot, centrifuged at 1700 rcf* for 10 minutes, the serum removed and placed into another plain red top tube or other, sterile, additive-free, plastic tube.  To prevent analytical error, serum should be removed from the clot within 1 hour of sampling.  Required volumes are listed in the table below.  

*RCF = relative centrifugal force = 0.00001118 x r (rotational radius in cm) x RPM2

Tests Available:

Chemistry, single tests

Chemistry panels

 **If the specimen is short volume, the lab will attempt to run as many tests as possible.

Appropriate Tubes: 

The following tubes are suitable for blood collection and analysis using the Olympus AU400e.  Please contact the lab if you have questions regarding the appropriate tube to utilize for your samples.

Sample Handling:

Label tubes using permanent marker with a legible, simplified numbering system.  Samples should be refrigerated as soon as possible following collection.  Transport with cold packs is recommended; do not transport directly on ice.  Please contact the lab for further instruction if you would like to submit archived, frozen samples for analysis. 

Results:

Results are available in Excel format.

Common Interferences:

Certain degrees of lipemia, hemolysis, and icterus (LIH) may interfere with analysis of some analytes.  LIH indices and the expected interferences are reported for basic and full profile samples. Potassium levels may be artifactually increased and glucose artifactually decreased in samples where serum has sat on the blood clot for an extended period of time.

Large volume biochemical profile: Collection protocols for large volume specimens (dogs, pigs, camelids, horses, etc.)

Instrument:

Olympus AU400e; Olympus America, Center Valley, PA

Sample Requirements:

Blood should be collected into plain red top tubes with no additive or gel separator.  Following collection, blood should be allowed to clot, centrifuged at 1700 rcf* for 10 minutes, the serum removed and placed into another plain red top tube or other, sterile, additive-free, plastic tube.  To prevent analytical error, serum should be removed from the clot within 1 hour of sampling.  Required volumes are listed in the table below.  

*RCF = relative centrifugal force = 0.00001118 x r (rotational radius in cm) x RPM2

Tests Available:

Chemistry, single tests

Chemistry panels

 **If the specimen is short volume, the lab will attempt to run as many tests as possible.

Appropriate Tubes: 

The following tubes are suitable for blood collection and analysis using the Beckman Coulter AU480.  Please contact the lab if you have questions regarding the appropriate tube to utilize for your samples.

Sample Handling:

Label tubes using permanent marker with a legible, simplified numbering system.  Samples should be refrigerated as soon as possible following collection.  Transport with cold packs is recommended; do not transport directly on ice.  Please contact the lab for further instruction if you would like to submit archived, frozen samples for analysis. 

Results:

Results are available in Excel format.

Common Interferences:

Certain degrees of lipemia, hemolysis, and icterus (LIH) may interfere with analysis of some analytes.  LIH indices and the expected interferences are reported for basic and full profile samples. Potassium levels may be artifactually increased and glucose artifactually decreased in samples where serum has sat on the blood clot for an extended period of time.