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HelpTest Code URC Urine Culture
Infectious
Additional Codes
If your patient is in one of the following categories, a culture can be ordered without urinalysis.
| Patient category | Test Code |
|---|---|
| Failed therapy for UTI | URCUTI |
| Neutropenic with ANC <1000 | URCANC |
| Pediatric | URCPE |
| Positive Point-of Care (POC) Urinalysis (UA) | URCPOC |
| Pregnant | URCP |
| Transplant | URCT |
| Urology patient or patient with Urologic hardware | URCU |
| Urology/Urogynecology patient | URCUP |
Specimen and Container/Tube
Specimen Type: Urine
Preferred Specimen: Urine grey-top tube
Other Acceptable specimens: Sterile, sealable, screw-cap container
Volume
Minimum Volume: 3-5 mL (adult)
Pediatric Volume: Less than 1 mL
Specimen Stability
|
Storage Temperature |
Stability |
|
Room temperature (20 - 25°C) |
Grey-top tube: 24 hours Sterile container: 2 hours |
|
Refrigerated (2 - 10°C) |
24 hours |
|
Frozen (-20°C) |
not acceptable |
Collection Instructions
Specimen Collection:
Clean voided, clean catch: Early morning specimen is best.
Foley catheterized, Texas catheterized: Disinfect tubing with alcohol, aspirate urine through tubing with BD vacutainer Luer-Lok Access device. Do not obtain specimen from bag.
Straight catheterized, Bladder Urine (suprapubic aspiration or cytoscopic), Indiana Pouch, Ileo Conduit or Stent, Neobladder, Nephrostomy Tube, Suprapubic Tube: Collected by physician or nurse.
Specimen Transport: Immediate
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: Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately.
Rejection Criteria
- Common specimen rejected situations include: incorrect specimen type, insufficient volume, incorrect collection container, missing or incomplete specimen identifiers, incorrect specimen transport, or specimens outside stability limits.
- Frozen specimens will be rejected.
- Specimens from adult patients not collected in grey-top tubes will be rejected.
Reference Values
|
Test |
Age |
Sex |
Reference Range |
|
Culture |
All |
All |
No Growth/Normal Flora |
Turnaround Time
Turnaround times are relative to the time the specimen is received in the test laboratory.
STAT Turnaround Time: not available
Routine Turnaround Time: 2 days
Testing Schedule: Monday - Sunday
Clinical Indications
- Aid in the diagnosis or screening of urinary tract infections.
Methodology
Conventional culture on media
CPT Codes
87086
LOINC Codes
30687086
Synonyms/Keyword Search
URCX, UCX, URINE C&S, CX, URC, BACTERIAL CULTURE, CULTURE
Last Review Date
03/13/2026