Sample requirements and turnaround times

All sample tubes must be securely capped and samples must be protected from light as soon as possible after collection. No special preparation of the patient is required prior to obtaining samples.

The following table indicates the samples required for each examination, along with the appropriate sample collection containers and the turnaround time in which we aim to process the samples and send the results:

* Urgent samples can usually be processed within 24 hours upon request. Please contact us for advice.
We aim to complete porphyrin examinations within the stated turnaround times, however some examinations may take longer if there is a lack of clinical information or a need for a more extensive investigation.
Any specimen(s) that require porphyrin profiling will be subject to the 20-working day turnaround time.

Links to:  further information about sample acceptance and rejection criteria and transportation of samples

Porphyrins are light sensitive, therefore all samples for porphyrin analysis must be protected from light at all times. A good way to do this is to wrap samples in foil as shown below. Samples that are not suitably protected from light may give inaccurate results.

Images showing suitable light protection of samples by wrapping in foil are shown below:

Source PBUL 009 06/12/2023 Issue: 2 Revision: 1