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Specimen Collection Manual and Test Catalog

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VITAMIN K

Geisinger Epic Procedure Code:  LAB3260    Geisinger Epic ID:  7066

SPECIMEN COLLECTION
Specimen type: 

Plasma or serum


Preferred collection container: 
Alternate collection container: 
3 mL green/black top lithium heparin tube
6 mL red-top (plain, non-serum separator) tube
4 mL green/green-top (sodium heparin) tube
3.5 mL gold-top (serum separator) tube
Specimen required: 

1 mL aliquot of plasma or serum; minimum 0.5 mL. Please submit a separate frozen aliquot for this test. It may not be combined with any other test requiring a frozen aliquot.


Special notes: 

Protect from light.


Patient preparation: 

Fasting for a minimum of 8 hours is preferred. Patient should refrain from eating liver and taking multivitamins or vitamin K at least 24 hours before sample collection.



SPECIMEN PROCESSING
Processing instructions: 

Centrifuge within 1 hour of collection. Separate and freeze immediately. If unable to centrifuge immediately, sample should be covered with aluminum foil immediately and placed on ice until plasma can be separated from cells. Protect from light.


Transport temperature: 

Frozen.


Specimen stability: 

Room Temperature: Unacceptable. Refrigerated: Unacceptable. Frozen: 3 months.


Rejection criteria: 

Gross hemolysis. Grossly lipemic.



TEST DETAILS
CPT code(s):  84597
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: 

Vitamin K.


Methodology: 
Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry
Synonyms: 

Quest test code 36585, VITK


Clinical significance: 

Vitamin K is a required co-factor for the synthesis of factors 2, 7, 9, and 10 and proteins C and S. Deficiencies of vitamin K lead to bleeding. Warfarin acts as an anticoagulant because it is a vitamin K antagonist.


Review Date:  12/20/2024

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