Iron Serum

Performed in Chemistry with exceptions below.
Performed at BDMC for BPMC.
Performed at Sonora Quest Laboratories for Page Hospital. 

FE

Green Top LiHep, Plasma
For WyMCC, BLMC and Page - SST

Gold/SST, Red Top

Separate serum or plasma from the clot or cells within 1 hour.

For Page Hospital, see link below for specimen details, methodology, setup schedule and reference ranges.
 

Do not use EDTA or oxalate plasma
Collected in an outdated/expired tube
Hemolyzed, icteric or lipemic
Contaminated

Daily, Sunday through Saturday

Less than 4 hours

Ingested iron is mainly absorbed in the form of Fe2+ in the duodenum and upper jejunum. The trivalent form and the heme-bound Fe3+ component of iron in food has to be reduced by Vitamin C. About 1 mg of iron is assimilated daily. Upon reaching the mucosal cells, Fe2+ ions become bound to transport substances. Before passing into the plasma, these are oxidized by ceruloplasmin to Fe3+ and bound to transferrin in this form. The transport of Fe ions in blood plasma takes place via transferrin-ion complexes. A maximum of 2 Fe3+ ions per protein molecule can be transported. Serum iron is almost completely bound to transferrin. Iron (non-heme) measurements are used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as iron deficiency anemia, hemochromatosis (a disease associated with widespread deposit in the tissue of the two iron-containing pigments, hemosiderin and hemofuscin, and characterized by pigmentation of the skin), and chronic renal disease. Iron determinations are performed for the diagnosis and monitoring of microcytic anemia (e.g. due to iron metabolism disorders and hemoglobinopathy), macrocytic anemia (e.g. due to vitamin B12 deficiency, folic acid deficiency and drug-induced metabolic disorders of unknown origin) as well as normocytic anemias such as renal anemia (erythropoietin deficiency), hemolytic anemia, hemoglobinopathy, bone marrow disease and toxic bone marrow damage. Numerous photometric methods have been described for the determination of iron. All have the following in common: • Liberation of Fe3+ ions from the transferrin complex using acids or detergents. • Reduction of Fee+ ions to Fe2+ . • Reaction of Fe2+ ions to give a colored complex. The method described here is based on the FerroZine method without deproteinization.