General Precautions

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-gntil 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).

Pre-Testing Precautions