| A. DIET: within 48 hours prior to the assay, avoid consuming bananas, chocolate, dried fruit, apples, pears, citrus fruit, cranberries and their juices, avocadoes, tomatoes, plums, kiwis, pineapples and molluscs. Specify diuresis |
| B. Circadian rhythm: This biological parameter has a circadian rhythm (maximum concentration in morning), with a sufficiently amplitude to have a significant influence on the clinical interpretation. |
| C. Specify the age, sex and phase of the cycle. For women, the sample must be taken at the start of the follicular phase. |
| D. The patient must store sample in a refrigerator during collection (between 2 urinations) and to send the samples to the laboratory without delay. |
| E. Residual level = before injection; Peak = 30 minutes after end of infusion or 1 hour after IM injection. |
| F. DIET: within 48 hours prior to the assay, do not eat chocolate, bananas or citrus fruit, and consume tea and coffee in moderation. Beta blockers treatments may interfere with the assay.
Three days prior to the test: avoid alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, and strenuous exercise. Patient must fast overnight (no food or drink from 10pm- water is allowed).
This test may be ordered to be drawn in the upright or supine position, or both:
Supine specimen – Patient must lie down for 30 minutes prior to collection
Upright specimen – must be drawn 15 minutes after patient been sitting up |
| G. DIET: within 48 hours prior to the assay, do not eat chocolate, bananas or citrus fruit, and consume tea and coffee, Alcohol, tobacco, strenuous exercise in moderation. Beta blockers treatments may interfere in the assay. |
| H. DIET: within 48 hours prior to the assay, avoid consuming bananas, vanilla, tea, coffee, alcohol and chocolate. Avoid strenuous exercise for 3 days prior to test. Specify diuresis. This test requires a 24-hour urine collection Check with the ordering physician about withholding medications for three days prior to and throughout the collection. Common anti-hypertensive agents (blood pressure medication) cause minimal or no interference. |
| I. Patient must fast overnight (no food or drink, except water) past 10pm the night before the test. At the lab: A baseline (fasting) blood sugar is drawn, 75 gm. of dextrose (liquid beverage) is ingested within five minutes. A second blood glucose is collected two hours after completion of the beverage. Patient must remain at the site for the duration of the test. |
| J. Patient should refrain from taking vitamins, or mineral or herbal supplements for at least 7 days before specimen collection |
| K. For three days prior to the test, patients must avoid seafood, antacids, vitamins with mineral supplements and herbal preparations. |
| L. This test requires only a small amount of feces. The specimen can be returned to the laboratory for testing, or if the patient takes a card home for self-testing, it must be returned within 14 days or it will be invalid. Before the test: Patient should follow a high-fiber diet starting 2 (two) days before and continuing throughout the test period.
Diet may include:
1. Only small amounts of well-cooked chicken, turkey and tuna;
2. Generous amounts of both raw and cooked vegetables, including lettuce, corn, spinach, celery and carrots;
3. Plenty of fruits, especially prunes and apples;
4. Bran and bran-containing cereals;
5. Moderate amounts of peanuts and popcorn daily
Foods to be avoided include:
1. Red or rare meats
2. Fruits and vegetables containing high peroxidase activity, including turnips, cauliflower, red radishes, broccoli, cantaloupe, horseradish and parsnips
Other factors which may affect the test:
1. Aspirin – do not ingest aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medicines for seven days prior to and
during the testing;
2. Rectal preparations – do not use for two days prior to and during the test
3. Ascorbic acid – do not use tonics or vitamin preparations that contain Vitamin C in excess of 250 mg per day. |
| N. No fasting required. At the lab: 50gm of dextrose (liquid beverage) is ingested within five minutes. A blood sample is drawn one hour after completion of the beverage. |
| O. Patient must fast for 8 to 12 hours (no food or drink, except water) before the test and patient must remain fasting throughout. At the lab: A blood specimen is drawn as a baseline. A lactose dose is ingested. Blood specimens are then drawn 30 minutes, one hour, 90 minutes and two hours after the ingestion. Patient must remain at the site for the duration of the test. |
| P. This test requires a 14-hour fast prior to blood collection |
| Q. Patient should refrain from eating seafood and taking herbal supplements for at least 3 days before specimen collection. |
| R. Patient must refrain from eating or drinking ANY Food or Drink including Water for 6 Hours prior to the test. |
| S. This test requires a 24-hour urine collection.
Before the test: For three days prior to and throughout the collection, patients should avoid:- nicotine (cigarettes, patches, gum) caffeine (coffee, tea, sodas), avocado bananas tomatoes, plums , nuts (especially walnuts) , pineapple , eggplant, plantains |
| T. Timed fecal specimen-This test requires a special diet of 100-150 grams of fat per day for 3 days before the test is started. Alcohol should be avoided for 24 hours before the test. Avoid the use of all laxatives. A recommended test diet (80 –100 g fat / day) prior to doing the test (for up to 3 days in a row) is the following:
• 2 cups whole milk (20 grams fat)
• 8 oz. lean meat or 5 oz. medium-fat meat (24 – 25 grams fat)
• 1 egg (5 grams fat)
• 5 servings fruits and vegetables (trace fat)
• 6 servings whole-grain breads or enriched breads or cereal (trace fat)
• 10 teaspoons fat (e.g. margarine, oil, mayonnaise) (50 grams fat)Total fat: About 100 grams |
| U. Fasting specimen – If the physician orders a fasting blood test, patient should be asked to fast for 8 – 14 hours, depending upon the test. Fasting means nothing to eat or drink, except water. Patient should continue to take any medication which has been prescribed, unless the physician advises no to.
No chewing gum is allowed, even the sugarless variety. Smoking and exercise may affect the results as well, therefore no smoking or exercise prior to the test. Some fasting tests include fasting triglycerides, fasting glucose, lipid profile, and insulin and gastrin levels. |
| V. The patient needs to refrain from any sexual activity for at least 2 days, but not more than 5 days prior to collecting the sample. |
