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Urine Collection For HPLC Tests

Patient should preferably be off any medication 7–10 days prior to specimen collection. Consult your clinician before stopping any medication. See individual tests for special instructions.This applies to tests like VMA, urinary catecholamines, urinary metanephrines, HVA, 5-HIAA, etc

Random urine collection:

Acidify urine with 50% HCl to a pH between 1.0 and 3.0 immediately after collection
Add acid drop-by-drop till the desired value is reached
Do not use concentrated acid
Send 50mL well-mixed aliquot of this collection refrigerated (2–8ºC)

24 hrs urine collection:

Proper collection and preservation of 24-hour urine specimen is essential for accurate results
- Maintain the usual amount of liquid intake prior to specimen collection
- Add 50% of concentrated or 6 N HCl to the 24hrs urine container to maintain pH between 1.0 & 3.0
- Handled the acid containing urine container with caution
- On the day of collection patient should discard first morning urine sample (not to be included in the 24hour collection).
- Add the next voiding and all subsequent voidings in to the container
- The last sample collected should be the first specimen voided about the same time the following morning as the previous morning's first voiding.
- Collect each void in a smaller clean container and carefully pour into acid container to avoid acid burns.
- Do not pass urine directly into the 24-hour container
- During the collection period, place the 24-hour urine container in a refrigerator or cool place, to prevent growth of microorganisms and possible decomposition of urine constituents
- Mix the contents of the container gently but thoroughly
- Measure the pH of the urine; it should be between 1.0 and 3.0.
- If the pH of the specimen is between 3.0 and 5.0 (sub-optimal specimen) with no bacterial growth observed (i.e. sample is not turbid) a few drops of 50% HCl can be added to the specimen to bring the pH between the desired range
- Measure and note the total volume of the well-mixed 24hr urine collection and send 50mL aliquot in a screw-cap plastic container refrigerated (2-8ºC)
- Record 24-hour urine volume on test request form (TRF) and urine container.
- Do not measure the total volume for trace element analysis
- Do not send the entire urine collection.

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*Only Pathology reports available online. For X-Ray, Ultrasound, ECG, TMT, Echo, PFT, Uroflowmetry reports,
please visit the concerned centre where test has been conducted.