Changes in Urine RM examination over time
Can we do urine routine examination (urine RM test) after few hours, like after 8 hours or so?
Yes we can do if there is no option, like in cases of pediatric patients. They have difficulty in passing urine, so mother’s collect the urine whenever the child passes, like at night, and then the urine sample is transported to lab in morning when the lab opens or when someone is available to transport the sample to lab.
In most cases there is no issue, but things to be kept in mind :
The anticipated alterations in the makeup of urine when kept at room temperature are as follows:
1. Hypotonic urine leads to the lysis of red blood cells.
2. Casts decompose over time.
3. Bacterial multiplication occurs.
4. Bacterial growth causes a decrease in glucose level.
5. Urea is converted into ammonia by bacteria, resulting in a shift towards alkaline nature of urine.
So just talk to your pathologist or treating doctor to tell him if the sample was kept for long.