Laboratory Medicine

Specimen Handling

Collection Instructions: Ensure both sample and requisition are labelled properly. Serotonin may be increased by diet or released by medications. For 48 h prior to collection, patient must abstain from avocados, bananas, coffee, plums, pineapples, tomatoes, walnuts, hickory nut, mollusks, eggplant and medications such as aspirin, cortocotropins, MAO inhibitors, phenacetin, catecholamines, reserpine and nicotine. Write your initials, date and time of collection on the collection label.

Laboratory Staff Instructions Separate from cells as soon as possible. Store and send frozen. If the specimen thaws it is unsuitable for analysis

Rejection Criteria: Plasma, unlabeled or samples of non sufficient quantity.

Stability: Stable at room temperature for 2 hours, refrigerated for 6 hours and frozen more than 6 hours.

Transportation: Send sample to core lab as soon as possible.