Uric Acid

Test Code

URIC

Preferred Specimen

1 mL serum

Patient Preparation
The assay manufacturer Beckman Coulter advises: "N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), when administered in therapeutic concentrations (for the treatment of acetaminophen overdose), has been...determined to interfere with assays for...cholesterol, uric acid" where "NAC interference may lead to falsely low results." According to Beckman Coulter, the NAC interference should be insignificant by 12 hours after completion of the initial loading dose of an IV infusion treatment regimen consisting of an initial loading dose of 150 mg/kg administered over 1 hour, a second dose of 50 mg/kg administered over 4 hours and a third dose of 100 mg/kg administered over 16 hours.

Minimum Volume

0.5 mL

Other Acceptable Specimens

Sodium heparin (green-top) tube • Lithium heparin (green-top) tube

Instructions

Note: N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI) (metabolite of acetaminophen) will generate erroneously low results in samples for patients that have taken toxic doses of acetaminophen.

Transport Container

Serum separator tube (SST)

Transport Temperature

Refrigerated (cool packs)

Specimen Stability

Refirgerated: 5 days

Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)

Anticoagulants other than heparin

Methodology
Spectrophotometry (SP)

Setup Schedule

24/7

Report Available

Same day

Reference Range

2.0-7.5 mg/dL Adults

Clinical Significance

Serum uric acid measurements are useful in the diagnosis and treatment of numerous renal and metabolic disorders, including renal failure, gout, leukemia, psoriasis, starvation or other wasting conditions, and in patients receiving cytotoxic drugs.

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.