Uric Acid [905X]

Test Code

3312

CPT Codes
84550

Preferred Specimen

1 mL serum collected in a serum separator tube (SST)

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.

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.

Minimum Volume

0.5 mL

Other Acceptable Specimens

Plasma collected in: sodium or lithium heparin (green-top) tube

Instructions

Centrifuge serum specimens within 1 hour of collection, transfer serum to a sterile, plastic, screw-capped vial(s), and ship at room temperature.

Transport Container

Transport tube

Transport Temperature

Room temperature

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 72 hours
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 28 days

Methodology
Spectrophotometry (SP)

Setup Schedule

Set up: Daily; Report available: Next day

Reference Range

	Male (mg/dL)	Female (mg/dL)
<1 Month	1.5-3.9	1.5-4.6
1-11 Months	1.5-5.6	1.5-5.4
1-3 Years	2.1-5.6	1.8-5.0
4-6 Years	1.8-5.5	2.0-5.1
7-9 Years	1.8-5.4	1.8-5.5
10-12 Years	2.2-5.8	2.5-5.9
13-15 Years	3.1-7.0	2.2-6.4
16-18 Years	2.1-7.6	2.4-6.6
≥19 Years	4.0-8.0	2.5-7.0

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.

Performing Laboratory
Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute
14225 Newbrook Dr
Chantilly, VA 20153

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.