| Laboratory: | Clinical Biochemistry (POC (Point of Care) TEST) | ||||
| Test Name: |
Potassium - epoc - (B)
Test Code:
KB
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| Clinical Information: |
Description: Potassium is the primary intracellular cation and is critical to nerve and muscle cell activity. Measurement of potassium is important for the assessment of electrolyte balance, muscle weakness, cardiac arrhythmia and renal failure.
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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, insufficient volume, 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: 3.5 - 5.1 mmol/L
Critical Values: Infants <2 months: <2.5 mmol/L or >7.0 mmol/L >2 months, Adults: <2.5 mmol/L or >6.5 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: |