LIPOPROTEIN ELECTROPHORESIS

Patient should be fasting for at least 12 hours prior to collection. For optimal results, patient conditions at the time of collection should be: following a stable diet for at least a week and stable body weight.
If a cholesterol measurement is to be performed along with triglycerides, but not part of lipid panel, then the patient should be fasting 9-12 hours prior to collection. If the cholesterol is ordered as part of a lipid panel, then a fasting sample is not required. Triglyceride test only: Patient should fast 9-12 hours prior to collection. As part of lipid panel testing: A fasting sample is not required. The assay manufacturer Beckman Coulter advises: "N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), when administered in therapeutic concentrations (for the treatment of acetaminophen overdose), has been determined to interfere with assays for cholesterol, uric acid" where "NAC interference may lead to falsely low results." According to Beckman Coulter, the NAC interference should be insignificant by 12 hours after completion of the initial loading dose of an IV infusion treatment regimen consisting of an initial loading dose of 150 mg/kg administered over 1 hr, a second dose of 50 mg/kg administered over 4 hrs and a third dose of 100 mg/kg administered over 16 hrs.

Serum separator tube (SST)

Centrifuge, separate serum from cells and send 2.0 mL serum in a screw capped plastic vial.

Serum: Red top
Plasma: Lavender EDTA

1.0 mL

Refrigerated

Specimens received room temperature

Room temperature: 24 hours
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 14 days