Potassium, Plasma

Overview
Department	Biochemistry
Test Code	PPOT
Synonyms	Electrolytes (includes Na)   Na & K
Constituent Tests	Anion Gap Electrolytes
Turnaround Time	1 – 4hrs
Stability – Add test	3 hrs
Specimen Requirements
Specimen Type	Plasma Serum
Specimen Transportation
Preferred	6 mL Plain Red-Top
Acceptable	4 mL Li-Heparin Green-Top
Pediatric Requirements	600 µL Li-Hep Microtainer
Aliquot Requirements
Sample Type
Minimum Volume
Aliquot Transportation
Clinical Information
Reference Intervals	All ages: 3.5 - 5.2 mmol/L
Test Method	Ion selective electrode (Indirect method) performed on the Abbott ci8200 analyser
Advanced Notice
Patient Preparation
Comments
Venostasis may cause up to 30% increase in 5 minutes.    Haemolysis, prolonged standing of specimen and/or squeezing of heel or finger (adding tissue fluid to the sample) during paediatric collects with give elevated results.