Phencyclidine PCP, Urine Screen UDRG4

• Urine specimens may be collected in plastic (i.e., polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyethylene) or glass containers. Some plastics, other than those listed, can adsorb certain drugs.
• If not analyzed immediately, specimens may be stored at room temperature at 15 - 25^o C for up to 7 days following collection. After 7 days, specimens should be stored frozen at <= -20^o C. Frozen specimens must be completely thawed and mixed thoroughly prior to analysis.
• Specimens with high turbidity should be centrifuged before analysis. The recommended pH range for urine specimens is 3.0 - 11.0. Adulteration of the urine specimen may cause erroneous results. If adulteration is suspected, obtain another specimen. Human urine specimens should be handled and treated as if they are potentially infectious.

The Beckman Coulter AU Emit II Plus Phencyclidine (PCP) method is for the in vitro diagnostic use in the qualitative determination of phencyclidine in human urine. It provides only a preliminary test result; a more specific alternative chemical method must be used to obtain a confirmed analytical result, such as with Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS).
Phencyclidine was a synthetic drug developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. Its use as an anesthetic in humans was discontinued in 1965, because patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects. Phencyclidine, also known as PCP and “angel dust," is now a drug of abuse used solely for its potent hallucinogenic effects. It may be self-administered in a variety of ways, including ingestion, inhalation, and intravenous injection. Phencyclidine is absorbed well and quickly and concen­trates in the brain and fatty tissues. Excretion patterns vary widely ranging from several hours to a couple of weeks. Phencyclidine is excreted in the urine unchanged, . Approximately 10 % is excreted unchanged in the urine and 90% is metabolized, as conjugated metaboIites and primarily as unidentified compounds, prior to excretion.

The Emit II Plus Phencyclidine Assay tests for phencyclidine in human urine. It also detects the analog 1-[1-(2-thienyl)-cyclohexyl]piperidine (TCP). High concentrations of several phencyclidine metabolites and analogs can also produce positive results in the assay. Positive results for samples containing other compounds structurally unrelated to phencyclidine usually have not been observed.

Analytical Principle:  The Emit II Plus Phencyclidine Assay is a homogeneous enzyme immunoassay technique used for the analysis of specific compounds in human urine.

The Emit II Plus Phencyclidine Assay provides only a preliminary analytical test result. A more specific alternative chemical method must be used to obtain a confirmed analytical result. Gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is the preferred confirmatory method.  Clinical consideration and professional judgment should be applied to any drug of abuse test result, particularly when preliminary positive results are used.