Catecholamines, Plasma Synonyms Adrenalin®, Plasma; Fractionated Catecholamines, Plasma; Plasma Catecholamines

Test Includes Total plasma catecholamines, norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine

Laboratory Core Laboratory

Referral to Reference Laboratory

Request Form Routine Blood Requisition

Phone (212) 305-8600

Availability Daily, 24 hours

Turnaround Time 3-6 days

Specimen Blood

Volume 10 mL

Minimum Volume 5 mL plasma

Container Two brown top (sodium heparin) tubes

Collection Place on ice and send to the laboratory immediately.

Storage Instructions Centrifuge blood in a cold centrifuge at 2°C to 4°C and freeze immediately in a plastic vial at -70°C. Do not permit specimen to thaw in transit.

Patient Preparation Patient should be supine for 30 minutes prior to collection. Patient should be fasting for 4 or more hours without smoking. Walnuts, bananas, and alpha methyldopa (Aldomet®) should be avoided for a week prior to sampling. Other drug interference may occur, including epinephrine and epinephrine-like drugs (eg, nosedrops, sinus and cough preparations, bronchodilators, and appetite suppressants). Test is unreliable in subjects on levodopa or methenamine mandelate. Avoid patient stress.

Causes for Rejection Specimen not arriving at laboratory on ice, or if separated, plasma not arriving frozen; inadequate patient preparation; hemolysis

Reference Range

Norepinephrine:

supine, 30 minutes: 110-410 pg/mL

sitting: 120-680 pg/mL

standing, 30 minutes: 125-700 pg/mL

Epinephrine:

supine, 30 minutes: <50 pg/mL

sitting: <60 pg/mL

standing, 30 minutes: <90 pg/mL

Dopamine:

supine, 30 minutes: <87 pg/mL

sitting: <87 pg/mL

standing, 30 minutes: <87 pg/mL

Total catecholamines:

supine, 30 minutes: 120-450 pg/mL

sitting: 140-730 pg/mL

standing, 30 minutes: 150-750 pg/mL

Use Diagnose pheochromocytoma and those paragangliomas which secrete epinephrine, norepinephrine, or both; investigate hypertensive patients, especially younger individuals, particularly when hypertension is paroxysmal, suggesting pheochromocytoma; work up multiple endocrine adenomatosis, type II; diagnose disorders related to the nervous system and to assess resuscitation

Methodology High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)