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Test Code LAB131 Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)

Useful For

  • Diagnosing and monitoring diseases that result in hepatic, cardiac, muscle, or kidney tissue damage.
  • Elevated levels can be found in hepatobiliary diseases, liver cirrhosis, metastatic carcinoma, viral hepatitis and myocardial infarction.
  • Decreased levels can be found during renal dialysis or vitamin B6 deficiencies.

Methodology

Photometric Rate

Performing Laboratory

Bozeman Health Laboratory Services

Specimen Requirements

Specimen Type: Plasma or serum
Container/Tube: Light-green top (lithium heparin gel), red top, or gold top
Specimen Volume: 1 mL
Specimen Minimum Volume: 0.5 mL

Collection Instructions:  Avoid hemolysis and prolonged contact with separated RBCs.  Spin down and separate cells from serum/plasma within 2 hours of collection.

Specimen Rejection: Hemolyzed samples will be rejected.

Additional Information

Avoid hemolysis and prolonged contact with separated RBCs.  Contamination with erythrocytes will elevate results, because the analyte level in erythrocytes is higher than in normal sera. The level of interference may be variable depending on the content of analyte in the lysed erythrocytes.

Specimen Transport Temperature

Ambient/Refrigerated

Specimen Stability

Specimen Type Temperature Time
Plasma or Serum Ambient 4 days
  Refrigerated 7 days
  Frozen 3 months

Reference Values

Male: ≤ 40 U/L

Female: ≤ 32 U/L

Day(s) Test Set Up

Monday through Sunday

Test Classification and CPT Coding

84450