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Phosphate (as Phosphorus)
Test Code718
CPT Codes
84100
Preferred Specimen
1 mL serum collected in a Serum separator tube (SST)
Minimum Volume
0.5 mL
Instructions
Centrifuge serum specimens within 1 hour of collection. Preferred specimen submission is either a spun SST or serum in a transport vial. Collection tubes may be red-top and/or dark blue-top (no gel) tubes; however, these specimens must be spun and the serum transferred to a transport vial before submission.
Transport Temperature
Room temperature
Specimen Stability
Room temperature: 72 hours
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 28 days
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 28 days
Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)
Gross hemolysis • Plasma
Methodology
Spectrophotometry (SP)
Setup Schedule
Set up: Tues-Sat; Report Available: 2-5 days
Clinical Significance
Serum phosphorus (Phosphate) levels alone are of limited diagnostic value and should be correlated with serum calcium levels. An increased phosphorus with decreased calcium suggests either hypoparathyroidism or renal disease. A decreased phosphorus and an increased calcium suggests hyperparathyroidism or sarcoidosis. When both calcium and phosphorus are decreased diagnostic considerations include malabsorption, vitamin D deficiency and renal tubular acidosis. Increased phosphorus and normal or increased calcium suggests Milk-alkali syndrome or hypervitaminosis D.
