RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Blood Ammonia Stability Revisited
JF American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
JO Clin Lab Sci
FD American Society of Chemistry and Laboratory Science
SP 173
OP 177
DO 10.29074/ascls.28.3.173
VO 28
IS 3
A1 Jack R. Hester
A1 William J. Korzun
A1 Lara U. Mabry
YR 2015
UL http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/28/3/173.abstract
AB The instability of ammonia in whole blood has challenged clinical laboratory scientists to develop specimen collection and handling methods that produce reliable results for plasma ammonia concentration. Thirty-eight outpatients' plasma ammonia concentrations were measured after heparinized whole blood specimens from each subject were held for 5, 15, and 30 minutes at room temperature and “on-ice”. The plasma ammonia concentration from whole blood maintained “on-ice” for 5 minutes was designated the “reference value”. Plasma ammonia concentrations from whole blood maintained “on-ice” for 15 or 30 minutes prior to processing were not significantly different from the reference values (15 min., p~0.196; 30 min., p~0.512). Plasma ammonia concentrations from whole blood maintained at room temperature for 5, 15 and 30 minutes prior to processing were also not significantly different from the reference values (p~0.961, 0.610, and 0.948, respectively). These results suggest that reliable plasma ammonia concentrations may be obtained from heparinized whole blood maintained at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.