Browsing Tag

Nathan Mclamb

Chemistry, Test Spotlight

Reminder: Folate Test and Fasting

Folate (aka Folic Acid) is a test that requires the patient to be fasting in order for the results be accurate. Results are falsely elevated if the patient is not fasting.  Spectrum Health Laboratories recently updated our system to hard stop a test from being collected if the patient is not fasting. Please remind your patients to fast 8 hours prior to having their blood drawn.

Spectrum Health Laboratories recommends:

• No caloric or caffeine intake for 8-12 hours prior to testing. Do not eat or drink anything except normal amounts of plain water. This also includes no smoking, chewing gum, candy, cough drops, etc.

• Take normal dosages of medications unless the provider has instructed otherwise.

Click here for a list of tests the require or recommend fasting. Continue Reading

March 31, 2022 by
Chemistry, Education & Training, Main lab

Test Update: AST and ALT

Go Live Date delayed to 3/3/2022

Go-Live Date: 3/2/2022

Due to new instrumentation at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital Laboratory (BIRL) and to standardize across the Spectrum Health system, we will be adopting new tests for AST and ALT. The difference between our current test and this new test is the addition of the co-factor pyridoxal phosphate (Vitamin B6). The new test is the recommended test of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and ultimately will provide our patient population more accurate AST and ALT results. We did not adopt the new test in the past because it came with logistical and stability issues that made its use in the lab difficult. The new instrumentation we obtained has solved some of these concerns.

Historically, if patients had a Vitamin B6 deficiency, their AST and ALT levels may have been falsely lower than the true values. This decrease was due to the lack of endogenous co-factor causing a slower reaction rate when we tested the patient sample. After we implement the new test across the system, you may notice an increase in your patient’s AST and ALT results. This increase may be evidence that your patient had some degree of Vitamin B6 deficiency. If you were trending results, we recommend you establish a new baseline with the new test versions. The lab has been changed slightly in EPIC to prevent trending between the two test versions, since the results may not be able to be correlated if your patient had a Vitamin B6 deficiency. Continue Reading

January 19, 2022 by
Chemistry, General Information

Test Update: Thyroglobulin Antibody

Effective immediately, Thyroglobulin Antibody will be performed at Spectrum Health Reference Laboratory (SHRL, Grand Rapids, MI) and will no longer be a sendout to Mayo Clinical Laboratories. Collection instructions and other information may have changed, please visit the lab catalog for more information.

Thyroglobulin Tumor Marker will continue to be a sendout. If a Thyroglobulin Antibody is ordered with a Thyroglobulin Tumor Marker, then the Thyroglobulin Antibody will automatically be canceled as Mayo Clinic Laboratories will perform the Thyroglobulin Antibody as well as the Tumor Marker.

For questions and inquiries, please use the “Contact Us” link above.

 

TEST INFORMATION

New test: Thyroglobulin Antibody [LAB1230840] 

Former test: Thyroglobulin Antibody, Serum [LAB1230457]

Mentioned Test: Thyroglobulin, Tumor Marker, Serum [LAB864]

November 18, 2021 by
General Information, Immunochemistry

HSV Testing Update

In an effort to streamline laboratory processes and provide expedited results, the test Herpes Simplex 1 / 2 IGG IGM was replaced with Herpes Simplex Panel on July 17, 2019.  The new panel will still offer both Herpes IgM and Herpes IgG.  The conversion to this panel will allow the lab to report Herpes IgG results faster.  Continue Reading

July 24, 2019 by