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HelpTest Code UC Urine Culture, UC
Specimen Type
Urine
Preferred Collection Container
URN-GRY (Urine Preservative Gray Top tube transferred using the Urine Preservative Collection System)Collection Volume
Urine Preservative Gray Top Tube – 4 mL: Sterile collection container – 1 mL
Minimum Collection Volume
Urine Preservative Gray Top Tube – 4 mL: Sterile collection container – 0.5 mL
Collection Instructions
Urine can be collected from a 1) Clean catch midstream 2) Straight catheter (in/out catheter) 3) Foley (indwelling) catheter – A newly inserted Foley (indwelling) catheter can be described as a straight catheter if urine specimen is collected at time of insertion from the port 4) Cystoscopy 5) Suprapubic bladder puncture 6) Nephrostomy (surgical or indwelling) 7) Ileal conduit 8) Urostomy site
Rejection Criteria
Specimen not received in appropriate sterile container; Unrefrigerated specimen older than 2 hours; Refrigerated Specimen received after 24 hours of collection (this includes Add-on orders); Boric acid preservative collected specimens received after 48
Specimen Storage and Stability
Urine gray top tube specimens are stable for 48 hours at Room or Refrigerated temperatures. Urine in a sterile specimen cup must be processed by the Microbiology Lab within 2 hours of collection when stored at Room Temperature or up to 24 hours when refrigerated.
Turn Around Time
Preliminary reports are available after 24 hours from receipt of specimen in the lab. Cultures with no growth will be reported at 2 days. Reports on specimens from which an organism(s) have been isolated require a minimum of 24 hours for completion.
Lab Department
Microbiology
Alias
Urine Culture; Culture, Urine, Catheterized; Culture, Clean Catch Urine;
Ordering Info
Specify specimen origin. CULTURE INCLUDES:
Susceptibility when appropriate.
EPIC Code
LAB239
Acceptable Collection Container
Sterile Specimen Collection Container
Transfer Instructions
Transferring Urine Samples to Preservative Tubes (Health Care Professionals Only)
Patient Preparation
For Clean catch midstream urine, instruct patient per procedure located under the Patient Collection Information in the left sidebar. DO NOT collect urine from the drainage bag when an indwelling catheter is in place because growth of bacteria can occur in the bag itself.
Additional Information
In addition to patient identifiers, label specimen container/tube with 1) Urine 2) Method of collection, e.g. clean catch mid-stream, straight cath, foley cath, etc. 3) Collect Date and Time 4) Collector’s Initials. An organism having a colony count of less than 10,000 per mL is not considered significant. Antimicrobial susceptibility performed when appropriate.
Day(s) and Time(s) Performed
Monday through Sunday, 6:00am – 12:30am