Saint Luke's Regional Laboratories

Screw-capped sterile container and gray top, BD Vacutainer® Preservative Urine Tube

Random urine

5 mL

1. Submit 5 mL of random urine from a clean, voided midstream urine collection, catheter, or suprapubic tap in a screw-capped, sterile container.
2. Instructions For Transferring Urine Into Gray Top Evacuated Tubes Using BD Vacutainer® Preservative Urine Transfer Straw:
A. Place the urine cup on a clean, flat surface.
B. Place the tip of the transfer straw into the urine specimen. The urine cup may be tipped at an angle if the volume of urine is limited.
C. Place the evacuated Gray Top Tube into the holder, stopper down. Advance the tube over the puncture point to pierce the stopper.
D. Hold the tube in position until filled.
E. Remove the tube from the holder.
F. Mix the tubes 8 - 10 times by inversion.
G. Lift the transfer straw from the cup and allow the specimen to drain. Discard the transfer straw.
3. Label the containers with the patient's full name, date of birth, identification number, date and time of collection, initials of the person collecting the specimen, and the specimen source. 
4. Maintain sterility and forward promptly.
5. If the urine is from a suprapubic tap, indicate on the request form.
6. The specimen source is required on the request form for processing.

Tubes at room temperature. If volume is not sufficient for tube collection, send refrigerated cup.

The Gray Top Tube is stable at room temperature for 48 hours.

87086 - Culture Urine (EAP 30061000)
87077 - Aerobic identification (if appropriate)
87088 - Presumptive identification (if appropriate)
87184 - Susceptibility studies, disk method (if appropriate)
87186 - Susceptibility studies, microdilution or agar dilution (if appropriate)

Monday through Sunday

If >10⁵ colony-forming units per mL, bacteria will be identified and sensitivity will be performed. Exception: If more than 2 species of bacteria are isolated, the culture will be reported as contaminated with a suggestion to recollect.