The Collection of a non-acidified 24 hour urine sample

You have been asked to collect a non-acidified 24 hour urine sample. This leaflet will explain:

• why you have been asked to collect the sample

• what equipment you will need

• when and how to collect your sample; and

• what to do with the sample once it has been collected.

We hope this leaflet answers some of the questions you may have. If you have any further questions or concerns, please speak to a member of your healthcare team.

Please follow these instructions carefully. Failure to do so will make it difficult for your doctor to interpret the results and you may have to do it again.

Why do I need to collect this sample over 24 hours?

Your doctor needs to measure various substances found in your urine. The rate that these substances are excreted into urine varies during the day. So, the best way to assess your excretion is to test all your urine over a 24 hour period.

What equipment do I need to collect my sample?

• A bottle. The hospital will give you a 5 litre plastic bottle to collect your sample. This bottle should be large enough to hold all the urine you pass in 24 hours. However, if you expect to produce more than 5 litres of urine, please ask for a second container. The laboratory will only accept samples collected into containers provided by the hospital.

  If your doctor has asked you to collect more than one 24 hour urine sample, they must go into separate bottles.

• A jug. To collect your urine and transfer it into the bottle, it may help if you have a clean, dry, non-metallic funnel or jug.

When should I collect my sample?

• Choose a day when you are certain you will be able to collect all your urine. This could be a day when you are not likely to be going out for a long time.

• The collection must be completed 24 hours after it starts. Start the collection at a time that best reflects the time you wish to finish your collection the next day.

• Deliver your sample to the Pathology Department or your GP surgery within 1 day of finishing your collection.

• Do not collect your sample while menstruating (during their period).

If your sample is to test for 5HIAA there are some things you must stop eating.

• For at least 48 hours before you start and while you are collecting your sample

  Do not have herbal remedies containing hydroxytryptophan (also called 5HTP or Griffonia).

• For at least 24 hours before you start and while you are collecting your sample

  Do not have avocados, plums and prunes, nuts, bananas and plantain, pineapple and pineapple juice, kiwi fruit, and all tomato products.

How do I collect my sample?

• Write your full first name, surname, and date of birth on the bottle label.

• Empty your bladder completely into the toilet. This is your start time; write it on the bottle. From now on every time you go to the toilet, including during the night, collect all your urine into the bottle. A clean funnel or jug may make this easier.

• The next day, at the same time as you started your collection on the previous day, completely empty your bladder into the bottle. You need to do this whether you feel you need to or not. The time you finish should not vary by more than 5 or 10 minutes from the time you started on the previous day. Write the finish date and time on the bottle.

• Do not contaminate your sample with faeces (poo). To avoid this, empty your bladder into the bottle before having a bowel movement.

• If possible, please keep your sample in a cool place, out of the sun and away from radiators.

• If you pass any urine into the toilet instead of the bottle, or if the bottle was not big enough, you must start again. You will need a new bottle or bottles, so you can repeat the collection. New bottles are available from the Pathology Department or by arrangement with your GP surgery.

What do I do with the sample when I have finished?

• Make sure that the lid is done up tightly.

• Within a day, bring the sample and the test request form to the Pathology Department at your nearest main East Kent Hospital (see below). The Pathology departments on each site are open between 8:30am and 7:30pm, Monday to Friday.

  • Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury

  • Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital, Margate

  • William Harvey Hospital, Ashford

  Ask at your GP surgery as it may be possible to drop your sample off there.

When will I get my test results?

The laboratory will send your results to the doctor who requested the test. Depending on the test, this could take between several days to a few weeks.

What if I have any questions or concerns?

If you have any queries about why this test is being done, please speak to the doctor who requested the test.

If you have questions about your sample collection, please phone the Duty Biochemist at the laboratory. Laboratory staff cannot discuss your results.

• Duty Biochemist
  Telephone: 01233 616060

Last time I collected a sample for 5HIAA there was acid in the bottle

Research done by our laboratories in East Kent Hospitals showed that samples without acid are better for measurement of 5HIAA.