Nicotine and Metabolites, Serum or Plasma, Quantitative
Ordering Recommendation
Use to detect and monitor nicotine and cotinine in serum or plasma. Serum or plasma testing may be useful when a valid urine specimen cannot be obtained (eg, due to anuria or dialysis).
New York DOH Approval Status
Specimen Required
Plain red, green (sodium heparin), lavender (EDTA), or pink (K2EDTA).
Separate serum or plasma from cells ASAP or within 2 hours of collection. Transfer 4 mL serum or plasma to an ARUP standard transport tube. (Min: 1 mL)
Refrigerated.
Plasma or whole blood collected in lt. blue (sodium citrate) or SST. Specimens exposed to repeated freeze/thaw cycles. Hemolyzed specimens.
After separation from cells: Ambient: 1 week; Refrigerated: 2 weeks; Frozen: 3 years
Methodology
Quantitative Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Performed
Sun-Sat
Reported
1-5 days
Reference Interval
Effective August 15, 2022
Drugs Covered | Cutoff Concentrations |
Nicotine | 5 ng/mL |
Cotinine (metabolite) | 5 ng/mL |
Interpretive Data
Methodology: Quantitative Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Positive cutoff: 5 ng/mL
For medical purposes only; not valid for forensic use.
This test is designed to evaluate recent use of nicotine-containing products. Passive and active exposure cannot be discriminated definitively, although a cutoff of 10 ng/mL cotinine is frequently used for surgery qualification purposes. For smoking cessation programs or compliance testing, the absence of expected drug(s) and/or drug metabolite(s) may indicate noncompliance, inappropriate timing of specimen collection relative to drug administration, poor drug absorption, or limitations of testing. This test cannot distinguish between use of tobacco and purified nicotine products. The concentration value must be greater than or equal to the cutoff to be reported as positive.
Laboratory Developed Test (LDT)
Note
Hotline History
Hotline History
CPT Codes
80323 (Alt code: G0480)
Components
Component Test Code* | Component Chart Name | LOINC |
---|---|---|
0092362 | Nicotine, S/P, Quant | 3853-9 |
0092363 | Cotinine, S/P, Quant | 10365-5 |
Aliases
- Cotinine
- Nicotine
- Nicotine and Cotinine, LC/MS/MS, Serum/Plasma
- Pain Management