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Test Code LDH Lactate Dehydrogenase

Specimen and Container/Tube

Specimen Type: Plasma

Preferred Specimen: Li-Heparin Mint Green Top

Other Acceptable specimens: Serum/Gold Top

Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions

UCMC Onsite Instructions: 

Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately. 

 

UCMC Offsite and UC MedLab Outreach Instructions: 

  • Samples should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection.
  • Centrifuge specimens at >2500 x g for 10 minutes at room temperature.
  • Aliquot sample into plastic transport tube containing a minimum of 0.2 mL of specimen.
  • Samples must be sent room temperature at 15-25oC.

Rejection Criteria

  • Common specimen rejected situations include: incorrect specimen type, insufficient volume, missing or incomplete specimen identifiers, incorrect specimen transport, or specimens outside stability limits. 
  • Specimens that are clotted or grossly hemolyzed.
  • Specimens that were transported unspun/whole blood and draw time is greater than 6 hours.

Reference Values

 

Test

Age

Sex

Reference Range

LASE

All

All

116-245 U/L

Note: Reference range based on in-house studies, recommendations from Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry, and Roche product literature.  

Critical Values

Analyte

Unit

Low

High

Age

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

CPT Codes

83615

LOINC Codes

14804-9

Volume

Preferred Volume: 0.5 mL

Minimum Volume: 0.2 mL

Specimen Stability

Storage Temperature

Stability

Room temperature

7 days

Refrigerated

4 days

Frozen

6 weeks

Collection Instructions

Collect specimen per standard laboratory collection procedures. 

 

Test Components

LDH

Clinical Indications

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity is present in all cells of the body with highest concentrations in heart, liver, muscle, kidney, lung, and erythrocytes. Serum LDH is elevated in a number of clinical conditions.

Methodology

UV Assay

Additional Information

  • Marked elevations in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity can be observed in megaloblastic anemia, untreated pernicious anemia, Hodgkin disease, abdominal and lung cancers, severe shock, and hypoxia.

     

    Moderate to slight increases in LDH levels are seen in myocardial infarction, pulmonary infarction, pulmonary embolism, leukemia, hemolytic anemia, infectious mononucleosis, progressive muscular dystrophy (especially in the early and middle stages of the disease), liver disease, and kidney disease.

     

    In liver disease, elevations of LDH are not as great as the increases in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT).

     

    Increased levels of the enzyme are found in about one-third of patients with kidney disease, especially those with tubular necrosis or pyelonephritis. However, these elevations do not correlate well with proteinuria or other parameters of kidney disease.

     

    On occasion a raised LDH level may be the only evidence to suggest the presence of a hidden pulmonary embolus.

Turnaround Time

Turnaround times are relative to the time the specimen is received in the test laboratory. 

 

STAT Turnaround Time: 1 hour

Routine Turnaround Time: 4 hours

Testing Schedule: 24/7

Synonyms/Keyword Search

LD (Lactate Dehydrogenase)

LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase)

Last Review Date

07/11/2024