Test Catalog

Test Id : RKUR

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Potassium, Random, Urine

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Overview

Test Catalog

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Determining the cause for hyper- or hypokalemia using a random urine specimen

Method Name
A short description of the method used to perform the test

Potentiometric, Indirect Ion-Selective Electrode (ISE)

NY State Available
Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.

Yes

Reporting Name
Lists a shorter or abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test

Potassium, Random, U

Aliases
Lists additional common names for a test, as an aid in searching

Electrolytes Urine

K (Potassium) Urine

Lytes Urine

Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing

Urine

Specimen Required
Defines the optimal specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing

Supplies: Sarstedt 5 mL Aliquot Tube (T914)

Container/Tube: Plastic, 5-mL tube

Specimen Volume: 4 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Collect a random urine specimen.

2. No preservative.

Specimen Minimum Volume
Defines the amount of sample necessary to provide a clinically relevant result as determined by the testing laboratory. The minimum volume is sufficient for one attempt at testing.

1 mL

Reject Due To
Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected

All specimens will be evaluated at Mayo Clinic Laboratories for test suitability.

Specimen Stability Information
Provides a description of the temperatures required to transport a specimen to the performing laboratory, alternate acceptable temperatures are also included

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Urine Refrigerated (preferred) 14 days
Frozen 30 days
Ambient 7 days

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Determining the cause for hyper- or hypokalemia using a random urine specimen

Clinical Information
Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test

Potassium (K+) is the major intracellular cation. Functions of K+ include regulation of neuromuscular excitability, heart contractility, intracellular fluid volume, and hydrogen ion concentration. The physiologic function of K+ requires the body to maintain a low extracellular fluid (ECF) concentration of the cation; the intracellular K+ concentration is 20 times greater than the extracellular concentration. Only 2% of total body K+ circulates in the plasma.

 

The kidneys provide the most important regulation of K+. The proximal tubules reabsorb almost all the filtered K+. Under the influence of aldosterone, the remaining K+ can then be secreted into the urine in exchange for sodium in both the collecting ducts and the distal tubules. Thus, the distal nephron is the principal determinant of urinary K+ excretion.

 

Decreased excretion of K+ in acute kidney disease and end-stage kidney failure are common causes of prolonged hyperkalemia.

 

Renal losses of K+ may occur during the diuretic (recovery) phase of acute tubular necrosis, during administration of non-potassium sparing diuretic therapy, and during states of excess mineralocorticoid or glucocorticoid.

Reference Values
Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.

No established reference values

Random urine potassium may be interpreted in conjunction with serum potassium, using both values to calculate fractional excretion of potassium.

 

The calculation for fractional excretion (FE) of potassium (K) is

FE(K)= ([K(urine) X Creat(serum)]/[K(serum) X Creat(urine)]) X 100

Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results

Hypokalemia reflecting true total body deficits of potassium (K+) can be classified into renal and nonrenal losses based on the daily excretion of K+ in the urine. During hypokalemia, if urine excretion of K+ is less than 30 mEq/day, it can be concluded that renal reabsorption of K+ is appropriate. In this situation, the causes for the hypokalemic state are either decreased K+ intake or extra renal loss of K+ rich fluid. Urine excretion of more than 30 mEq/day in a hypokalemia setting is inappropriate and indicates that the kidneys are the primary source of the lost K+.

Cautions
Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances

Ion-selective electrodes are selective for the ion in question but are not specific. Other monovalent cations may interfere but not in the physiologic range.

Clinical Reference
Recommendations for in-depth reading of a clinical nature

1. Delaney MP, Lamb EJ: Kidney disease. In: Rifai N, Horvath AR, Wittwer CT, eds. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. 6th ed. Elsevier; 2018:1308-1309

2. Toffaletti J: Electrolytes. In: Dufour DR, Rifai N, eds. Professional Practice in Clinical Chemistry: A Review. AACC Press; 1993

Method Description
Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference

The ion-selective electrode (ISE) module performs indirect measurement of electromotive force (EMF). The ISE module measures the EMF difference between an ion-selective electrode and a reference electrode. The EMF of the ion-selective electrode is dependent on the ion concentration of the sample. The EMF of the reference electrode is constant. An electronic calculation circuit converts EMF of the sample to the ion concentration of the sample.(Package insert: Potassium. Roche Diagnostics; V14.0 02/2018)

PDF Report
Indicates whether the report includes an additional document with charts, images or other enriched information

No

Day(s) Performed
Outlines the days the test is performed. This field reflects the day that the sample must be in the testing laboratory to begin the testing process and includes any specimen preparation and processing time before the test is performed. Some tests are listed as continuously performed, which means that assays are performed multiple times during the day.

Monday through Sunday

Report Available
The interval of time (receipt of sample at Mayo Clinic Laboratories to results available) taking into account standard setup days and weekends. The first day is the time that it typically takes for a result to be available. The last day is the time it might take, accounting for any necessary repeated testing.

Same day/1 to 2 days

Specimen Retention Time
Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded

7 days

Performing Laboratory Location
Indicates the location of the laboratory that performs the test

Rochester

Fees
Several factors determine the fee charged to perform a test. Contact your U.S. or International Regional Manager for information about establishing a fee schedule or to learn more about resources to optimize test selection.

  • Authorized users can sign in to Test Prices for detailed fee information.
  • Clients without access to Test Prices can contact Customer Service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Prospective clients should contact their account representative. For assistance, contact Customer Service.

Test Classification
Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) product.

This test has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.

CPT Code Information
Provides guidance in determining the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code(s) information for each test or profile. The listed CPT codes reflect Mayo Clinic Laboratories interpretation of CPT coding requirements. It is the responsibility of each laboratory to determine correct CPT codes to use for billing.

CPT codes are provided by the performing laboratory.

84133

LOINC® Information
Provides guidance in determining the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) values for the order and results codes of this test. LOINC values are provided by the performing laboratory.

Test Id Test Order Name Order LOINC Value
RKUR Potassium, Random, U 2828-2
Result Id Test Result Name Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
RKUR Potassium, Random, U 2828-2

Test Setup Resources

Setup Files
Test setup information contains test file definition details to support order and result interfacing between Mayo Clinic Laboratories and your Laboratory Information System.

Excel | Pdf

Sample Reports
Normal and Abnormal sample reports are provided as references for report appearance.

Normal Reports | Abnormal Reports

SI Sample Reports
International System (SI) of Unit reports are provided for a limited number of tests. These reports are intended for international account use and are only available through MayoLINK accounts that have been defined to receive them.

SI Normal Reports | SI Abnormal Reports