Escitalopram, Serum/Plasma

Test Code

15857

CPT Codes
80299

Preferred Specimen

1 mL serum collected in a red-top tube (no gel), or 1 mL plasma collected in an EDTA (lavender-top) tube, or an EDTA (pink-top) tube

Minimum Volume

0.4 mL

Instructions

Promptly centrifuge and separate serum or plasma into a plastic, screw-capped vial, using approved guidelines.

Transport Container

Transport tube

Transport Temperature

Room temperature

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 30 days
Refrigerated: 30 days
Frozen: 7 months

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

Serum separator tube (SST) • PST

Methodology
High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)

FDA Status
This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by NMS Labs. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Setup Schedule

Set up: As needed; Report available: 4 days

Reference Range

Steady-state serum or plasma levels from patients on a daily regimen of 30 to 60 mg Citalopram: 9-200 ng/mL.

Steady-state peak plasma levels from patients on regimen of 10 or 30 mg/day: 21 and 64 ng/mL, respecitvely, and occur at approximately 4 hours post dose.

This test is not chiral specific; therefore, Citalopram and/or Escitalopram may be present. Patients who have taken Racemic Citalopram (Celexa®), as opposed to Escitalopram (Lexapro®), within the past 3 days may have falsely elevated values.
Analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

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.