Specimen Type/Volume

0.5 mL serum or lithium-heparin plasma.

Shipping Information

Ship in insulated container with freezer packs.

Collection Protocol

Submit a 12-hour fasted sample and a 2-hour post-prandial sample. Collect blood into a red-top vacutainer; avoid hemolysis. Allow the sample to clot. Centrifuge the sample; separate the serum from the cells and transfer to a leakproof, labelled tube. Refrigerate or freeze and ship with freezer packs. Lithium-heparin plasma is acceptable, however laboratory reference intervals are for serum samples.

Additional Information

In the User's Guide - See Clinical Pathology section - Hepatic disease* [4] A. Serum bile acids (SBA).