| Laboratory: | Clinical Biochemistry (POC (Point of Care) TEST) | ||||
| Test Name: |
Chloride - epoc - (B)
Test Code:
CLB
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| Clinical Information: |
Description: Chloride is the primary extracellular anion and maintains body water distribution, osmotic pressure and normal anion-cation balance. Measurement of chloride is important for the assessment of acid-base balance, water balance and hydration status. An elevated anion gap strongly suggests the presence of metabolic acidosis [Anion gap = Na - (Cl + TCO2)].
The whole blood anion gap may be requested from the epoc test menu. |
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| Collection Devices: |
Capillary specimens must be collected in a balanced heparin capillary tube (FULL collection), capped, mixed, and tested within 5 minutes of collection.
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| Specimen Required: |
Whole Blood: 4.0 mL
Pediatric Whole Blood: 0.1 mL
Collection Information: Evacuated blood tubes must be FULL to maintain specimen stability. Specimens must remain capped until tested to avoid contamination with air.
Rejection criteria: clots, underfilled tube, leaking specimens, and specimens not received within 30 minutes of collection.
Capillary samples must be tested at the bedside, within 5 minutes.
Ambient: 30 minutes (Vacutainer, syringe); 5 minutes (capillary) Refrigerated: DO NOT REFRIGERATE Frozen: DO NOT FREEZE Do not submit specimens on ice. |
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| Referral: |
Only available at sites which perform epoc testing on-site.
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| Requisition: | |||||
| Reference Values: |
Reference Intervals: 98 – 107 mmol/L
Critical Values: <75 mmol/L >126 mmol/L Method of Analysis: Potentiometry – Direct Ion-Selective Electrode Siemens epoc® Blood Analysis System, BGEM test card |
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| Availability: |
Daily or Stat
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| See Also: | |||||
| More Information: |
Interpretation & Assay Interferences: See attached epoc assay interference document
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