How to collect samples for porphyrin analysis

• Blood samples are taken by trained healthcare workers. At Ninewells Hospital, this will be in Phlebotomy Services on level 7, but your blood sample may also be taken at your GP surgery or another hospital. You will be asked to confirm your identity and give verbal consent to the procedure.
• Blood samples for porphyrin analysis should be clearly labelled with your name, date of birth/CHI, and the sample collection date and wrapped immediately in foil to protect them from light as shown in the image below 
• If you are having your blood sample taken at Ninewells, you may be asked to bring your sample to The Photobiology Unit to prevent any delay in processing.

Your doctor or a healthcare worker should give you a sterile (clean) screw-top plastic specimen container in which to collect your urine sample. For porphyrin testing the urine sample can normally be collected at any time of day, and you will normally be asked to provide a sample whilst you are at the hospital. If for any reason you are unable to provide a sample on the day, you may be asked to collect a sample at home and either return it to us directly, via your GP or we can provide you with a special pre-paid shipping container to send it back to us.

To collect a urine specimen:

• Clearly label the sample container with your name, date of birth/CHI, and date
• Wash your hands
• Collect a sample of urine in the sterile screw-top container
• Screw the lid of the container shut, and wrap it with foil as soon as possible to protect it from light as shown in the image below
• It is important that the lid of the container is tightly shut so that the urine does not leak out
• Wrap the urine container in the absorbent material and place into a sealable plastic bag
• Wash your hands thoroughly

Your doctor or a healthcare worker should give you a sterile (clean) screw-top plastic specimen container in which to collect your faecal/stool sample. You will normally be asked to collect a sample at home and either return it to us directly, via your GP or we may provide you with a special pre-paid shipping container to send it back to us.

To collect a stool sample:

• Clearly label the sample container with your name, date of birth/CHI, and date
• Wash your hands
• Place something in the toilet to catch the faeces/stool, such as a potty or an empty plastic food container, or spread clean newspaper or plastic wrap over the rim of the toilet
• Make sure the sample does not touch the inside of the toilet
• Use the spoon that comes with the container to place the sample inside, aiming to fill around a third of the container
• Screw the lid of the container shut, and wrap it with foil as soon as possible to protect it from light as shown in the image below. It is important that lid of the container is tightly shut so that the sample does not dry out
• Wrap the faecal/stool sample in the absorbent material and place into a sealable plastic bag
• Wash your hands thoroughly

Please note that the Safebox® step by step instructions state in step 1 that only one 50ml container can be sent per pack. As the urine sample contains a maximum of 30ml, both a urine and faecal/stool sample can be sent in the same Safebox®.

Source: PBUL016 06/12/2023 Issue:1 Review:7