Specimen Requirements

Specimen must arrive within 24 hours of collection.

Submit only 1 of the following specimens:

Catheterized
This procedure should be recommended for patients unable to produce a midstream specimen, and should be performed aseptically to avoid inducing nosocomial infection.

1. Avoid sending urine that has remained stagnant in catheter tubing for any length of time; do not send catheter bag urine except in the case of neonates or young infants when special precautions have been taken; and avoid sending urine from catheters that have been in place longer than 5 to 9 days.
2. Discard first few milliliters of urine from catheter to wash out any organisms that may have lodged in catheter tip during transit through urethra.
3. Clean catheter with an alcohol sponge, puncture with sterile needle, and collect urine in sterile syringe.
A. Urine may also be collected from soft rubber connector between catheter and collecting tubing.
B. Foley catheter tips are unsuitable for culture because they are invariably contaminated with urethral organisms.
4. Pour urine (minimum volume:  1 mL) into a screw-capped, sterile urine container. Mix well.
5. Label container with patient’s full name (first, last, and middle initial), medical record number (if available), date and time of collection, location of patient, and type of specimen.
6. Send specimen refrigerated. Maintain sterility and forward promptly.

Note:  1. See “Microbiology” in “Special Instructions” for further information.

2. Specimen source is required on request form for processing.

Clean-Catch, Midstream
This procedure is most commonly used.

1. Prepare patient for a clean-catch, midstream urine specimen (minimum volume:  1 mL of urine).

2. After first few teaspoons, place screw-capped, sterile container under stream of urine and collect rest of urine in container. Even 1/4 cup is an adequate specimen for testing.
3. After finishing, tighten cap on container securely and wash any spilled urine from outside of container.
4. Label container with patient’s full name (first, last, and middle initial), medical record number (if available), date and time of collection, location of patient, and type of specimen.
5. Send specimen refrigerated. Maintain sterility and forward promptly.

Note:  1. Follow instructions in “Urine Collection” in “Special Instructions” for clean-catch, midstream specimens.

2. See “Microbiology” in “Special Instructions” for further information.

3. Specimen source is required on request form for processing.

Suprapubic Aspirate
This procedure is reserved almost exclusively for neonates and small children, and occasionally for adults with clinically suspected urinary tract infections in which clean-catch specimens have failed to establish a diagnosis. This is the only acceptable specimen for anaerobic culture of urine. Bagged urine specimens from infants are not recommended for culture due to an inherent contamination factor.

1. Collect 1 mL of urine with a needle and syringe and place in a leakproof, sterile container.
2. Label container with patient’s full name (first, last, and middle initial), medical record number (if available), date and time of collection, location of patient, and type of specimen.
3. Send specimen refrigerated. Maintain sterility and forward promptly.

Note:  1. See “Microbiology” in “Special Instructions” for further information.

2. Specimen source is required on request form for processing.