Specimen Requirements

Patient Preparation:  Collect urine in clean and /or sterile container.  The patient must be given instructions for collecting a “clean catch” urine specimen. 

Specimen:  A freshly voided urine sample collected by the “clean catch” method is the specimen of choice.  The “clean catch” urine is recommended to prevent the possibility of a positive leukocyte test caused by leukocytes external to the renal-urinary system.

Collection Containers and Specimen Stability

The collection container of choice for urinalysis is the Becton Dickinson Urinalysis Preservative Plus Urine Tube an 8.0 ml conical bottom tube. (Yellow cap with red speckles) BD # 364992.

Urine samples collected in this tube are stable for 72 hours from 2 to 25 deg C.

Urine Samples may be collected in a standard urine cup or container without preservative. Containers without the preservative are stable for 2 hours at room temperature.  If the specimen cannot be processed within 2 hours after collection, cap the container tightly and store at 2 - 8° C. 

Urines that are refrigerated (2 to 10 deg. C) are stable for 8 hours.

Specimen Volume:  The specimen volume for the IRIS System is at least 5 mL.