Viral Respiratory, Rapid Culture with Reflex (VRRCR)

Test Code

LAB4567

Quest Code

14867

CPT Codes
87254

Includes

If Viral Respiratory, Rapid Culture Screen is Positive, then Rapid Respiratory Viruses identification will be performed at an additional charge (CPT codes(s): 87140 x7)

Preferred Specimen

3 mL nasopharyngeal aspirate/washing or nasopharyngeal swab in V-C-M medium (green-cap) tube or equivalent

Minimum Volume

1 mL

Other Acceptable Specimens

3 mL nasopharyngeal aspirate, nasopharyngeal washing, bronchial lavage/wash or tracheal lavage/wash in sterile screw-cap container • Throat swabs on patients ≥2 years of age in V-C-M medium (green-cap) tube or equivalent

Instructions

To maintain optimum viability, place swab or fluid into V-C-M (equal volumes of fluid and V-C-M) or equivalent and transport the specimen to the laboratory as soon as possible. Best recovery is obtained when the specimens are refrigerated at 2-8° C or kept on wet ice following collection and while in transit. If there will be a long delay before processing, specimens in V-C-M or equivalent should be frozen at -70° C or colder and transported on dry ice. Storage or transport at -20° C is not acceptable. Raw (unpreserved) specimens should only be refrigerated and not frozen.

Transport Container

V-C-M medium (green-cap) tube or equivalent

Transport Temperature

Nasopharyngeal aspirate or nasopharyngeal washing or bronchial lavage/wash or tracheal lavage/wash collected in sterile screw-capped container: Refrigerated (cold packs)

All other specimens: Frozen -70° C

Specimen Stability

V-C-M medium (green-cap) tube or equivalent
Room temperature: Unacceptable
Refrigerated: 4 days
Frozen -20° C: Unacceptable
Frozen -70° C: 30 days

Raw (unpreserved) specimens
Room temperature: Unacceptable
Refrigerated: 72 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable

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

Throat specimen on <2 year old patients • Specimen in non-viral transport medium such as nucleic acid or bacterial transport media • Non-respiratory specimens • Dry swabs • Specimen in formalin or other fixatives

Methodology
Centrifuge-Enhanced Culture • Immunofluorescence Stain

Setup Schedule

7am Monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday

Report Available

7 days

Clinical Significance

Diagnosis facilitates appropriate selection of antiviral drug therapy for Influenza A and RSV, and prevents inappropriate use of antibiotics.

Performing Laboratory

Quest Diagnostics - South Region

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.