In this section
Please read all protocols carefully to ensure that the lab is notified before any test which requires urgent analysis of specimens once commenced. If notification of the lab is required, this will be indicated at the start of the protocol.
The volume of blood stated in these protocols assumes that there is a normal packed cell volume (PCV). If the child is known to have a high PCV, then please allow for this and send a larger volume of blood.
Some of the blood samples required in these protocols need to arrive at the lab very urgently and on ice. Urgent porter delivery is arranged with Sodexo, who have a list of tests which have a porter response time of 5 min. These are termed ‘Code Blue’ tests. This form of words must be used when contacting the Sodexo helpdesk on x4850. In all cases the requesting clinician must contact the lab before the specimen is sent.
ACTH – 15 mins on ice
Free fatty acids – 20 mins on ice
Whilst some dynamic function tests may be requested via a specific test name in HIVE, not all tests are set up in this way. If a test is being carried out which does not have a HIVE test name, please order the analytes individually, indicating in the clinical details which test is being carried out.
Adrenal
- Standard dose Synacthen Test for suspected adrenal failure
- Standard dose Synacthen Test for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
- Low dose Synacthen Test
- Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test
- High Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test
- Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone (CRH) Test
- Cortisol Day Curve – Monitoring Hydrocortisone replacement
- Cortisol Day Curve – Assessment of adrenal function
- Cortisol Day and Night Curve
Anterior pituitary
- Arginine Stimulation Test for Growth Hormone
- Glucagon Stimulation Test for Growth Hormone
- Glucagon Stimulation Test for Cortisol and Growth Hormone
- Insulin Tolerance Test
- Combined Test of Anterior Pituitary Function – Arginine, TRH, GnRH, Synacthen
- Combined Test of Anterior Pituitary Function – Glucagon, TRH, GnRH, Synacthen
- Glucose Suppression Test for Growth Hormone
- IGF-I Generation Test
Posterior pituitary
Thyroid
Gonad
Endocrine/Pancreas
- Oral Glucose Tolerance Test
- Oral Glucose Tolerance Test with insulin
- 8 hour controlled fast
- 12 hour controlled fast
- 16 hour controlled fast
- 18 hour controlled fast
- 20 hour controlled fast
- 24 hour controlled fast
- Oral Glucose Tolerance Test for hypoglycaemia
- Protein Loading Test for hypoglycaemia
Bone
(Last reviewed September 2024)