Dexamethasone
Test Mnemonic
DEXA
CPT Codes
- 80299 - QTY (1)
LOINC ®
14062-4
Includes
- Dexamethasone
Performing Laboratory
ARUP
Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | Serum | SST (Gold) | Refrigerated | Collect between 8 - 10 a.m. Separate serum from cells ASAP or within 2 hours of collection and aliquot into standard transport tube. |
Alternate Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | Plasma | Sodium or Lithium heparin (Green) | Refrigerated | Collect between 8 - 10 a.m. Separate plasma from cells ASAP or within 2 hours of collection and aliquot into standard transport tube. | |
| 1 mL | Plasma | EDTA (Lavender) | Refrigerated | Collect between 8 - 10 a.m. Separate plasma from cells ASAP or within 2 hours of collection and aliquot into standard transport tube. |
Minimum Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mL |
Stability
| Environmental Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Ambient | After separation from cells: Unacceptable |
| Refrigerated | After separation from cells: 1 week |
| Frozen | After separation from cells: 6 months |
Days Performed
Wed, Sat
Turnaround Time
3 - 6 days
Methodology
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) |
Reference Range
| Dexamethasone | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Age From | Age To | Type | Range | Range Unit |
| 8:00 a.m. draw following 1 mg dexamethasone between 11 pm - midnight the previous evening: 140-295 ng/dL | 8:00 a.m. draw following 8 mg dexamethasone between 11 pm - midnight the previous evening: 1600-2850 ng/dL | Adults baseline: <50 ng/dL |
Special Info
Specimen should be collected between 8-10 a.m. This test is New York DOH approved.
Clinical Info
Compliance assessment of dexamethasone suppression testing.