ANALYSIS LABORATORY - Casa di cura

PREPARATION FOR SAMPLE COLLECTION

Venous blood collection:

do not change your eating habits the day before your blood draw
patients should fast for 8 hours prior to the blood draw (14 hours for cholesterol and/or triglycerides evaluation)
refrain from drinking coffee, tea, milk or other beverages except plain water
avoid intense physical activities in the 12 hours prior to the blood draw
abstain from smoking between the time you wake up and the blood draw
avoid alcoholic drinks 12 hours prior to the blood draw
avoid taking medications in the 12 hours prior to the blood draw, except those absolutely necessary (consult your doctor); in the latter cases report the type of medication taken
avoid excessive fasting (over 24 hours) for the consequent reduction of blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides,
proteins and increased bilirubin, uric acid and creatinine
for women, report the status of your menstrual cycle
appointments are not required

Venous blood collection for CEA testing:

abstain from smoking for 24 hours prior to the blood draw
patients should fast for at least 8 hours, a modest amount of water can be consumed

Venous blood collection for DIGOXIN testing:

patients should fast for at least 8 hours, a modest amount of water can be consumed
the patient must be in an upright position at least 30 minutes before the exam
during the regular monitoring of the drug, in order to ensure the values obtained are comparable, the blood draw should be made the same number of hours from the time the drug is taken

Venous blood collection for LITHIUM testing:

patients should fast for at least 8 hours, a modest amount of water can be consumed
the patient must be in an upright position at least 30 minutes before the exam
during the regular monitoring of the drug, in order to ensure the values obtained are comparable, the blood draw should be made the same number of hours from the time the drug is taken

Venous blood collection for PROLACTIN testing:

patients should fast for at least 8 hours, a modest amount of water can be consumed
the patient must be in an upright position at least 30 minutes before the exam

Venous blood collection for POSTPRANDIAL GLYCEMIA testing:

PHARYNGEAL SWAB:

VAGINAL SWAB:

discontinue any treatments with vaginal ovules or pessaries at least 48 hours before the exam
do not use any internal vaginal washing products 24 hours before the exam
avoid sexual intercourse 24 hours before the exam
allow 7 days to pass since last taking antibiotics
the exam cannot be carried out during the menstrual cycle

URETHRAL SWAB:

SPUTUM COLLECTION:

the sputum should be collected in the morning after fasting;
to expectorate, the patient must cough forcefully so as to increase the amount of bronchial secretion collected;
the use of a non-antibiotic N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine Aerosol or a lukewarm physiological solution is recommended before the collection of the sample
avoid mouthwashes and gargles
the sample collected must be delivered urgently to the lab

URINE COLLECTION FOR FULL URINE EXAM:

discard the first portion of the urine flow
collect a single sample of urine in the morning of the exam, in a special container collected at the clinic or a pharmacy
women should use a genital washing product before the collection;
avoid collecting the sample during your menstrual cycle

24-HOUR URINE COLLECTION:

in the morning you must empty your bladder and discard all the urine
keep all urine produced in the 24 hour period in a clean container
it is recommended to drink at least 2 litres of water
the collection should finish the next morning at the same time at which it began and should also include the urine collected at the end of the period (e.g. at 7 a.m. empty your bladder discarding the urine, then collect all urine including that produced at 7:00 am the next day)
keep the container tightly closed, and eventually store in the refrigerator
the sample collected must be delivered urgently to the lab

24-HOUR URINE COLLECTION FOR CREATININE CLEARANCE:

24-HOUR URINE COLLECTION FOR VANILLYLMANDELIC ACID:

the patient should collect a 24-hour urine sample (see previous exam)
the sample should be delivered to the clinic by 10:00 AM
to collect the sample, use a container containing hydrochloric acid supplied by the clinic lab
the sample collected must be delivered urgently to the lab

URINE COLLECTION FOR URINE CULTURE:

wash the external genitalia with SOAP and water and rinse thoroughly
discard the first portion of the urine flow and collect the remainder of the urine produced in an appropriate sterile container supplied by the clinic
the container should only be opened when collecting the sample and should be quickly closed afterwards
allow 7 days to pass since last taking antibiotics

STOOL COLLECTION FOR COPROCULTURE, PARASITOLOGICAL EXAM AND CHEMICAL-PHYSICAL EXAM:

collect the stool in the container supplied by the clinic
use the spoon attached to the lid of the container to collect a small quantity of stool from 3 different spots and introduce the samples in the container
the sample should be delivered to the clinic by 10:00 AM
for a coproculture, allow 7 days to pass since last taking antibiotics
for a parasitological exam, a sample must be collected for 3 consecutive days

STOOL COLLECTION FOR OCCULT BLOOD:

the collection of a stool sample not contaminated with urine and emitted spontaneously is required
the sample must not be collected during the menstrual cycle or while suffering from haemorrhoids

STOOL COLLECTION FOR SCOTCH-TEST:

in the morning, before washing, prepare a CLEAR strip of tape (scotch)
apply the strip to the peri-anal cutaneous-mucosal folds, pressing well
stick the strip perfectly to the surface of the glass slide
repeat for the second and third slide (with an exam of at least 3 samples, a diagnosis is obtained in at least 90% of infestation cases;
to exclude the possibility of an infestation, at least 5 such exams must be negative)