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Test Code PTMRT Potassium, Whole Blood

Specimen and Container/Tube

Specimen Type: Whole blood

Preferred Specimen: Syringe

Other Acceptable Specimens: None

Specimen Stability

Storage Temperature

Stability

Room temperature

30 minutes

Refrigerated

not acceptable

Frozen

not acceptable

Collection Instructions

  • Collect specimen per standard laboratory collection procedures. 
  • Remove all air from syringe. 
  • Remove needle. 
  • Cap tightly and mix well. 

Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions

UCMC Onsite Instructions: 

  • Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately. 
  • Testing must be performed within 30 minutes of collection 

UCMC Offsite and UC MedLab Outreach Instructions: 

  • Specimens are not acceptable from offsite locations for blood gas testing 

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 with needles attached will be rejected. 
  • Specimens with air bubbles. 

Reference Values

Analyte

Age

Sex

Normal Range

Potassium (K+)

All

All

3.5 – 5.5 mmol/L

Critical Values

Analyte

Age

Low

High

Potassium (K+)

All

<2.8 mmol/L

≥6.0 mmol/L

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

Test Components

Potassium

CPT Codes

84132

LOINC Codes

TBD

Methodology

Direct measurement 

Last Review Date

4/29/2025

Volume

Preferred Volume: 0.5 mL

Minimum Volume: 0.2 mL