Very often people are interested in how much urine can be stored for analysis. For example, in the refrigerator. The fact is that this issue is extremely important. The collection of biological material and its submission to the laboratory are processes that seriously affect the final results of research.
Many hospitals and medical centers only take urine tests in the morning. So, there are some restrictions. So what about the storage of this biological material? How much and how should it be stored to obtain the most accurate result?
Urine properties
First you need to understand that urine has some specific properties. They seriously affect research results. That is why citizens are interested in how much urine can be stored for analysis.
Urine quickly loses its properties. After some time, a precipitate may form in the urine. Because of this, the information content of the analysis is reduced significantly, and such a study cannot be called true.
After a certain period of time, urine begins to be enriched with ammonia. Because of this, serious inaccuracies in the analysis may occur. You will have to take it to the laboratory as soon as possible after collecting urine for further research. But not always and not everyone has such an opportunity. What should you pay attention to first of all? How much urine can be stored for analysis, and under what conditions?
The faster the better
It is recommended not to do this at all. Urine will give the most accurate results only if it is fresh. Therefore, the shelf life of some citizens are not interested. Especially those who are close to laboratories.
It is recommended to be guided by the rule, which states that after collecting the biological material in a special container, it is necessary to take it as soon as possible for further research.
Informational content
But still, how much urine can be stored for analysis? At room temperature, for example. It has already been said that it is required to take the collected material for research as soon as possible. But how much time is given to the citizen to ensure that the results are as accurate as possible?
On average, urine retains its information content for 1.5-2 hours from the moment of its collection, at room temperature. After that, the process of separation of ammonia and precipitate begins. Accordingly, as soon as a citizen has collected biological material, he will have only 120 minutes to deliver it to the laboratory. But this is far from the only scenario.
Quite often, the extension of information content is achieved by storing urine in the refrigerator. This is a common phenomenon, which should be treated with special responsibility.
Refrigerator
How much urine can be stored for analysis in the refrigerator? It has already been said that this is a good option for extending information content.
Ideally, when storing urine in the refrigerator, you can maintain accuracy for 2 additional hours. But, again, it is best not to procrastinate and take the analysis for research as soon as possible.
It would seem clear how much urine can be stored for analysis. But, to be honest, the answer is not limited to two hours. Parents and doctors have different opinions about this. What other scenarios can there be?
Analysis Dependence
For example, an important nuance is what kind of analysis will be carried out. In some cases, it is necessary to deliberately wait for the "delay" of biological material. But at the same time, store urine directly in the refrigerator.
Under certain circumstances, urine can be delivered to the laboratory 10-12 hours after collection. For example, if an analysis is carried out according to Kakovsky-Addis. This study involves collecting urine throughout the day. Accordingly, on average, it is stored in the refrigerator for half a day. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But at room temperature, the information content of the analysis is lost.
Night fees
We will continue to find out how much urine can be stored for analysis in the refrigerator. The child or adult should be examined, but, as has already been said, it is best to collect urine in the morning and carry out general and clinical studies and take it to the laboratory as soon as possible. Maximum - put in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
But it happens that collecting biological material from a baby is very problematic. For example, if there are impaired renal function, and he rarely urinates. In this case, it is recommended to fence before bedtime.
How much urine can be stored for analysis (child or adult - not so important)? Under such circumstances, storage is allowed for about 8-9 hours at temperatures up to 4 degrees Celsius.
By the way, it is important to report this to the laboratory when delivering biological material. And on the container, a note is made that the urine was stored in the refrigerator. If possible, the time for collecting biological material is also set. Otherwise, the citizen will receive inaccurate results. Accordingly, urine can be stored throughout the night. But in the morning, biological material is transported to the laboratory as soon as possible. If you can collect morning urine, then the old one can be disposed of. And it is only necessary to collect the analysis in a new container.
Freezing
Now it’s clear how much urine can be stored for analysis before giving it to the laboratory. But some are wondering if it will be possible to extend the informativeness of urine if you use the freezer. After all, most products are enough to freeze so that they are stored for a long time.
Doctors indicate that urine should never be frozen. So she completely loses her properties. If it is not possible to quickly deliver the collected biological material to the laboratory, it is better to place the container with it in a dark and cool place. But not in the freezer. Accordingly, you can forget about freezing. You can not store urine at sub-zero temperatures even for an hour.
During pregnancy
And how much urine can be stored for pregnancy testing? At the moment, this procedure is not required at all. The fact is that there are a variety of tests to determine pregnancy at home. They make it possible even without collecting urine to determine whether a girl has an “interesting” position.
If you want to use the usual express test, you will have to collect morning urine in a small container. Next, the test strip drops to a certain mark. After a few seconds, you can get the test, and urine - pour.
If you need to store it for some time (for example, due to the lack of a pregnancy test at home), then you should do this according to generally accepted rules. In other words, no more than 2 hours should pass after the collection. It is advisable not to put urine in the refrigerator. Indeed, information content in this case is reduced. And in the early stages of pregnancy, due to a similar situation, the test may be negative. And this factor must be taken into account.
Collection rules
The last thing you should pay attention to is the rules for collecting material for analysis. With the wrong fence technique, you don’t have to worry at all about maintaining information content, due to the long storage. After all, violations in the collection lead to a complete loss of the effectiveness of the study.
Urine collection is recommended according to the following tips:
- The most informative is morning. Therefore, its fence should be made in the morning, the first emptying.
- Use only special containers for collecting urine. Old or used containers are not accepted.
- The collection technique is as follows: for the first 2-3 seconds, empty into the toilet, then 3/4 of the tank is filled with urine, and the rest again into the toilet.
- A few days before collecting urine, it is necessary to exclude the use of medicines, as well as spicy, sweet and salty foods.
- After collecting urine can not be supercool. It is required to immediately close the container so that particles from the outside do not get into it.