Urinalysis

Prepared by: Nada Hasan

 Urinalysis
A urinalysis is a group of manual and/or
automated qualitative and semi-quantitative
tests performed on a urine sample.
 Purpose:

Routine urinalyses are performed for several

reasons:
1. general health screening to detect renal and
metabolic
diseases.
2. diagnosis of diseases or disorders of the
kidneys or
urinary tract.
 Functions of kidney:
 The human kidneys have four major
functions. They are to:
1. Remove metabolic waste and toxins
from the body.
2. Regulate the volume and composition of
the
body fluids through secretion and
reabsorption.
3. Maintain the balance of acids to bases in
the
body (i.e., pH).
 Collection of urine specimens

 Containers for the collection of urine

should be:
a. wide-mouthed.
b. clean.
c. dry.
 Types of urine specimen
1. Early morning urine specimen
This is the specimen of choice for
urinalysis and microscopic analysis, since
the urine is generally more concentrated
(due to the length of time the urine is
allowed to remain in the bladder) and,
therefore, contains relatively higher levels
of cellular elements and analytes such as
protein, if present. Also called an 8-hour
specimen, the first morning specimen is
collected when the patient first wakes up in
the morning, having emptied the bladder
before going to sleep.
 Types of urine specimen
2. Random urine specimen
A random urine sample, taken at any time
of the day, will enable the laboratory to
screen for substances which are indicators
of kidney infection. Random specimens
can sometimes give an inaccurate view of
a patient's health if the specimen is too
diluted and analyte values are artificially
lowered.
 Types of urine specimen
3. 24-Hour urine specimen
The 24-hour urine specimen is collected in
a clear 2-litre bottle with a stopper. On the
first morning the patient gets up and
urinates; this urine is not collected. All the
urine passed during the rest of the day and
night is collected in the bottle. The next
morning the patient gets up and collects
the first urine of the morning in the bottle.
The bottle should then be taken
immediately to the laboratory. Measure the
volume of urine with a measuring cylinder
and record it.
 Types of urine specimen
4. Midstream urine specimen

While passing urine, the patient places

an open container in the stream of
urine and collects about 20 ml of urine.
The container should be covered
immediately. This is the preferred type
of specimen for culture and sensitivity
testing because of the reduced
incidence of cellular and microbial
 Types of urine specimen

5. Catheterization specimen:
Collection of urine using a catheter must
be carried out by a qualified physician or
nurse. The procedure is used for certain
bacteriological tests, mainly in women.
 Types of urine specimen
6. Urine specimens from infants
Urine can be collected into a plastic
bag with an adhesive mouth. The bag is
left in place for 1–3 hours, depending
on the examination requested.
 Storage of Urine:
1. Preservatives of urine for
Urinalysis:
it is recommend testing urine within
two hours of its collection. However,
refrigeration or chemical preservation of
urine specimens may be utilized if
testing or refrigeration within a two-hour
window is not possible. A variety of urine
preservatives (tartaric and boric acids
being the most common) are available
that allow urine to be kept at room
temperature while still providing results
Generally, the length of preservation capacity
ranges from 24 to 72 hours. When a specimen
is directly transferred from a collection cup
into a preservative tube, it provides a stable
environment for the specimen until testing
can be reduces the risk of bacterial
overgrowth. Non-additive tubes (those not
containing any chemical preservatives) can
be used for urinalysis, but must be handled
following strict timing and refrigeration
guidelines.
 Storage of Urine:
2. Preservatives for Culture and
Sensitivity (C&S) Testing:
The most common preservative used for
culture and sensitivity is boric acid, which
comes in tablet, powder form.
any questions
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