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Special Instructions
Date and time specimen was drawn must be written on tube of blood and request form.
Expected Turnaround Time
1 - 2 days
Turnaround time is defined as the usual number of days from the date of pickup of a specimen for testing to when the result is released to the ordering provider. In some cases, additional time should be allowed for additional confirmatory or additional reflex tests. Testing schedules may vary.
Related Documents
Specimen Requirements
Specimen
Plasma, frozen
Volume
1 mL
Minimum Volume
0.5 mL
Container
Lavender-top (EDTA) tube; EDTA is the only acceptable anticoagulant.
Collection
Tube must be filled completely and kept tightly stoppered at all times. Mix well. Specimen must be placed on ice immediately. Separate plasma from cells within 15 minutes of collection. Patient should not clench fist. Transfer specimen to a plastic transport tube before freezing. Avoid contamination of samples by ammonia from smoking or traffic in the laboratory or patient's room, glassware, or water. To avoid delays in turnaround time when requesting multiple tests on frozen samples, please submit separate frozen specimens for each test requested.
Storage Instructions
Freeze. Ammonia is stable for several days at -20°C. Caution: Blood ammonia increases rapidly at room temperature.
Stability Requirements
Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
Room temperature | Unstable (stability provided by manufacturer or literature reference) |
Refrigerated | 2 hours (stability provided by manufacturer or literature reference) |
Frozen | 3 days (stability provided by manufacturer or literature reference) |
Freeze/thaw cycles | Unstable (stability provided by manufacturer or literature reference) |
Patient Preparation
Patient should be fasting 12 to 14 hours to avoid lipemia, which interferes with the test.
Causes for Rejection
Hemolysis which increases plasma ammonia; specimen not received frozen; anticoagulants such as citrate, oxalate, ammonium heparin, or sodium fluoride (may cause spuriously high results); lithium heparin may cause spuriously low results; serum specimen (ammonia values in serum are significantly but variably higher than their corresponding plasma values, as ammonia may be generated during clotting); lipemia
Test Details
Use
Ammonia is elevated in the following conditions: liver disease, urinary tract infection with distention and stasis, Reye syndrome, inborn errors of metabolism including deficiency of enzymes in the urea cycle, HHH syndrome (hyperammonemia-homocitrullinuria, hyperornithinemia), some normal neonates (usually returning to normal in 48 hours), total parenteral nutrition, ureterosigmoidostomy, and sodium valproate therapy. Ammonia determination is indicated in neonates with neurological deterioration, subjects with lethargy and/or emesis not explained, and in patients with possible encephalopathy.
Ammonia measurements are mainly of use in the diagnosis of urea cycle deficiencies (any neonate with unexplained nausea, vomiting, or neurological deterioration appearing after first feeding), and they play an important part in the detection of Reye syndrome.
In Reye syndrome threefold increases in AST, ALT and plasma ammonia are required for diagnosis with/or the diagnostic liver biopsy findings. Ammonia levels increase characteristically early; plasma ammonia ≥100 μg/dL reflects severe hepatic changes. Prothrombin time is increased in essentially all patients, prototypically three seconds longer than the control. Bilirubin is usually normal. Glucose should be monitored; hypoglycemia may develop. Hyperosmolality and acid-base imbalance may develop, lactate may increase, CK may increase and CK-MB may be elevated. Uric acid may increase.1,2 Increased ammonia and prolonged prothrombin time provide indicators of disease progression.3
Limitations
The correlation between blood ammonia levels and hepatic coma is poor. Ammonia determinations are not reliable predictors of impending hepatic coma.
Ammonia levels are not always high in all patients with urea cycle disorders. High protein diet may cause increased levels.4 Ammonia levels may also be elevated with gastrointestinal hemorrhage. If portal hypertension develops with cirrhosis, hepatic blood flow is altered, leading to elevated blood ammonia levels.
Methodology
Enzymatic
Reference Interval
See table.
Age | Male (µg/dL) | Female (µg/dL) |
|---|---|---|
0 to 30 d | Not established | Not established |
1 to 6 m | 42–137 | 42–137 |
7 m to 1 y | 34–108 | 34–108 |
2 to 12 y | 33–97 | 33–97 |
13 to 30 y | 36–136 | 29–112 |
31 to 40 y | 40–160 | 30–130 |
41 to 50 y | 40–200 | 31–155 |
51 to 70 y | 40–200 | 34–178 |
71 to 80 y | 31–169 | 31–169 |
>80 y | 28–135 | 28–135 |
Footnotes
1. Bakerman S, Bakerman P. Reye syndrome: Laboratory and clinical features. Lab Management. 1986; 25-28.
2. Meythaler JM, Varma RR. Reye's syndrome in adults: Diagnostic considerations. Arch Intern Med. 1987 Jan; 147(1):61-64. 3800531
3. Heubi JE, Daugherty CC, Partin JS, Partin JC, Schubert WK. Grade 1 Reye's syndrome: Outcome and predictors of progression to deeper coma grades. N Engl J Med. 1984 Dec 13; 311(24):1539-1542. 6504082
4. Glasgow AM. Clinical application of blood ammonia determinations. Lab Med. 1981; 12:151-157.
LOINC® Map
| Order Code | Order Code Name | Order Loinc | Result Code | Result Code Name | UofM | Result LOINC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 007054 | Ammonia, Plasma | 22763-7 | 007054 | Ammonia, Plasma | ug/dL | 22763-7 |
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