PENTO – “Pentobarbital (Nembutal)”

Update to specimen requirements, alternate specimen, stability, and reference range.

Specimen Preparation: Centrifuge, separate serum from cells within 2 hours and send 1.0 mL serum in a screw capped plastic vial.

Minimum Volume: 0.5 mL 

Alternate Specimen: No alternate specimen listing. 

Stability: Room temperature: 48 hours
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 14 days

Reference Range:

Prefers sleep: 10 – 15 µg/mL
Comatose reflexive: 15 – 20 µg/mL
Comatose areflexive: 25 – 30 µg/mL
Comatose with circulatory and/or respiratory difficulty: 40 – 50 µg/mL
Toxic >50