| Laboratory: | Clinical Biochemistry (AUTOMATED) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Test Name: |
ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE (AST) - (P)
Test Code:
ASTR
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| Clinical Information: |
Description: May be used in the evaluation of liver disease. AST is very sensitive but non-specific. It is found in RBCs, heart, muscle tissue, pancreas, kidney and as a result AST is elevated in myocardial infarction, skeletal muscle damage, pancreatitis, renal infarction, pulmonary embolism, red cell disorders and hemolyzed specimens.
Patients with B6 deficiency (malnutrition, chronic alcohol abuse or pyridoxine binders) may present with falsely low ALT levels. |
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| Collection Devices: |
Acceptable specimen include serum with or without gel.
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| Specimen Required: |
Plasma: 2.0 mL
Pediatric Plasma: 0.3 mL
Specimen Stability: Ambient: 4 days Refrigerated: 7 days Frozen: 3 months at -20°C |
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| Referral: |
Shipping and Storage:
Samples must be transferred to an aliquot tube and stored/shipped · Refrigerated if off-site testing to be performed within 24 hours · Frozen if testing to be performed after 24 hours Samples must be transferred to an aliquot tube and stored/shipped frozen for all off-site testing (#110-10-05 Serum / Plasma Separation Procedure & Transport) |
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| Requisition: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference Values: |
Method of Analysis: enzymatic rate with P5P |
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| Availability: |
Stat or Routine
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