Pre-Testing Precautions

General Precaution

• Fasting Sugar

  6-12 hours fasting is required ( for the completion of glucose burning sugar two hours after eating: hours are calculated from the beginning of a meal (and to start insulin secretion with the beginning of a meal) and requires the completion of a meal in 10 minutes at the most. Treatment is taken unless there are special instructions from the physician drinking only water is permitted during the two hours.

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Curve in Blood

  the patient is asked to take (150 gm) carbohydrates for 3n consecutive days before the implementation of the test 10-16 hour fasting sample is taken then a glucose dose is administrated and the other samples are taken afterwards and no food or drink are allowed during analysis except only for water with smoking inhibition . special instructions must be registered whether :the patient is pregnant or not.and whether the patient is on diabetic treatment or not in addition to whether the treatment was taken on the analysis day or not .

• Lipid Profile

  fast from 12 – 16 hours is required (for complete absorption of fat in blood) drinking water is allowed .

• Blood Cholesterol

  fasting from 6-16 hours is required.

• Pregnancy Test in Urine

  early morning sample is taken 5-6 days after the missed period. preferably first urine in the morning because the pregnancy hormone is more concentrated , with restriction of fluid intake from the previous evening If the result is negative blood test is suggested because this test is more sensitive.

• Screening for Drug Addiction

  Early concentrated morning urine sample Urine culture & sensitivity •it is essential to wash hands and genitals with soap and water and cleanse by (Dettol) and then wash again with water to remove excess cleanser then drop the first drops in the toilet and put the rest in the sterile container provided by the lab it is also preferable to collect urine into the bladder from 2 hours to 6 hours. If you send the sample from home it must reach the laboratory within two hours at most (so as not to perish the microbe or lowering the bacterial count if present ) Important Notes:

   

  • Do not take antibioNotestics for 48 hours .
  • Use first urine in the morning .
  • Use the middle of the urethral stream .

  For long-term catheter users, urine taken from a urine collection bag isn’t accepted.

• 3 Sputum Urine Samples on 3 Consecutive days for Searching of Acid Fast Bacilli (T.B.)

  This analysis is to detect tuberculosis microbe in 3 samples because the microbe can appear in one sample and does not appear in another sample early morning sputum samples are required.

• 24-Hour Urine Collection

  The patient empties the accumulated urine in bladder in the toilet and register the time and then complete collecting in suitable clean and dry bottle sufficient for the assembly then continue assembling the urine to the same time of registration at the beginning of the next day . Preserve the urine in the refrigerator until sending it to the lab

• Microalbuminuria

  24 hour urine collection with complete rest & minimal physical effort.

• VMA-5HIAA-Catecholamines Analysis

  Requires 24-hour urine collection in a special preservative provided from the laboratory the patient is required to refrain from eating nuts – tea – coffee – chocolate – vanilla – plum – pineapple – eggplant – tomato – bananas – biscuits – cake – for a period of 48 hours

• 24 Hour Collection Urine Samples Without a Preservative

  Protein – Microalbumin – Creatinine clearance – Na – K – Oxalate – Calcium – Phosphorus – lead – mercury – Osmolality-cortisol

• 24 Hours Urine on Preservative HCl Given at the Lab

  VMA-Catecholamine-Copper-5HIAA

• Creatinine Clearance

  Requires 24-hour urine collection & serum sample patient’s weight and height is required

• Stool Analysis

  • Not in diaper avoid mineral oil, Bismuth, Magnesium.
  • Wait 1 week after barium or laxative intake.

• Stool Culture & Sensitivity

  • Require the arrival of the sample to the laboratory within two hours at the most (because there are some microbes that die quickly).
  • Not accept samples in Pampers (diapers) or cardboard boxes because they absorb fluid from the sample and drought kills microbes.
  • Refrain from antibiotic for 48 hours.

• Stool Analysis for Hidden Blood(occult blood in stool)

  abstain patient for 48 hours from eating all kinds of red meat or liver or rheumatic drugs or medicines containing aspirin or vitamin C or cortisone or iron are also it is not allowed to take laxatives.

Uro-genital Samples

• Semen Analysis

  Abstain from sexual intercourse or masturbation is required to for 4 consecutive days , it is preferable  to give the sample in the lab, including the first semen drops in the bottle(because these points by 3/4 sperm count). If you bring the sample from home it is not allowed to accept a sample of the house over more than 30 minutes. It should be noted that the presence of water or soap or cream inside the semen cup as it affect the movement and vitality of sperm.

• Prostatic Discharge

  Require abstinence from sexual intercourse for 4 days prior to analysis, booking inside the lab an hour before the test. A urine sample is taken before prostate massage and a urine sample again after prostate massage .

  Serum PSA refrain patient 10 days prior to analysis for laparoscopy or catheter) because this will affect the result of the analysis (only if there is another view of the physician..

• Uretheral Discharge

  Collect urine into the bladder for an hour before testing (until the urethra is completely dry to make sure that the existing microbe is from the penis and not the urine).

• Gynecological Swab

  reservation of This sample is done in an earlier date .abstinence of intercourse for two days is required (so as to make sure that the existing microbe is from the uterus and not from semen) Do not wash the vagina before analysis ( giving a chance for microbe growth while refraining from antibiotic for 48 hours).

Other

• Epilepsy Drugs and Asthma Medication

  • Take medication for 5 days on a regular basis and in order to achieve a constant level in blood.
  • Vomiting or diarrhea is not accepted for 48 hours prior to the analysis because it will affect the dose and therefore the level of the drug in blood.
  • Sample taken before dose is used to calculate the proportion of the drug at the lowest level (Trough) and then taken another sample after taking medication several hours (varies from drug to another as doctor guidance) to calculate the highest percentage of the drug in the blood (Peak)

• Platelet Function Tests

  Platelet aggregation to collagen, ADP, Ristocetin. Fasting is preferred for 10 hrs. Stop Aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulants

• G6PD Analysis

  The analysis is not to be conducted for 3 months. after blood transfusion or crises

• Iron TIBC

  Fasting is preferred from 6-12 hours and before the start of any new treatment.

• CA 19.9

  Fasting from 6-8 hours is preferable

• Triple Test -Double Test

  The patient’s date of birth – age – weight – the first day of the last menstrual period  – number of pregnancy weeks  – smoking or not  – history of diabetes – suffering  from high blood pressure or not – was there a previous pregnancy and what was the outcome of this pregnancy – report pregnancy weeks  through the sonar and the embryos number .

• Pathology Analysis

  Attach written report on pathological specimens with (patient name – Gender – Age – specimen type – clinical case).

• Thyroid Gland Analysis

  • Write the name of a medication that the patient takes .
  • Was the  gland removed or not .

• Stone Analyzes

  You must write the origin of stone Is it from the urethra or bile ducts.

• APTT and PT analysis

  • Does the patient takes the medicine, such as (Marivan – heparin – Vitamin K) and what is the dose? And when treatment is started? Whether the treatment will be stopped at any time? Are taking any other treatment with medication (aspirin – antirheumatic drugs)?
  • Do you happen any bleeding from the gums or under the skin or nose ………… ?
  • In children what is the cause analysis (before operations or on bleeding)?