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Specimen Collection Manual and Test Catalog

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CARBAMAZEPINE AND METABOLITE, SERUM/PLASMA

Geisinger Epic Procedure Code:  LAB3134    Geisinger Epic ID:  19189

SPECIMEN COLLECTION
Specimen type: 

Serum or plasma


Specimen required: 

2 mL aliquot of serum or plasma; minimum 0.7 mL.


Special notes: 

Do not use serum separator tubes.



SPECIMEN PROCESSING
Processing instructions: 

Obtain serum by drawing blood into an evacuated tube without anticoagulant and with a noncoated interior. Allow 20 minutes for clotting. Centrifuge and immediately separate serum or plasma specimens from the cells into clean, plastic, screw-capped vial(s).


Transport temperature: 

Refrigerated, frozen or room temperature.


Specimen stability: 

Room Temperature: 14 days. Refrigerated: 14 days. Frozen: 10 months (-20°C).


Rejection criteria: 

The use of serum separator tubes is not acceptable. Submission of serum separator tube will result in cancellation



TEST DETAILS
Reference interval: 

Carbamazepine - Total 4.0-12.0 mcg/mL 
Carbamazepine Metabolite 0.2-2.0 mcg/mL


CPT code(s):  80156, 80161
Note: The billing party has sole responsibility for CPT coding.  Any questions regarding coding should be directed to the payer being billed.
The CPT codes provided by GML are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only.

Test includes: 

Carbamazepine and its metabolite (10,11-carbamazepine epoxide).


Methodology: 
Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)
Synonyms: 

EPOX, Carbemazepine And Metabolite Epoxide Total, Quest test code 26513


Clinical significance: 

Carbamazepine and its metabolite (10, 11-carbamazepine epoxide) are widely used for control of generalized tonic-clonic, partial-onset, complex and mixed seizure disorders. The metabolism of carbamazepine in epileptic patients has several different pathways that can be altered when the patient is co-medicated with other anticonvulsants and, therefore, its therapeutic level should be monitored along with its metabolite in their free and protein bound states.


Review Date:  11/14/2024

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