Our Chemistry Laboratory combines modern automation with the personal skills of a dedicated team of pathologists, clinical chemists, and technologists. We provide a range of services, including routine testing, stat testing, point-of-care testing, and specialized tests, and report critical values to providers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For detailed information on proper sample collection and critical value notification times for all types of tests, refer to the following tables.
Chemistry Tests Offered
We conduct the following types of tests. For a complete list of specific tests, refer to our Test Information Library (requires connection to Mount Sinai intranet).
Routine Testing
Routine test turnaround time is three or four hours. For specific test information on common chemistry panels, including metabolic panels (basic and comprehensive), hepatic function panels, ED abdominal panels, and glucose tolerance, see the Common Chemistry Panels Menu.
In order to avoid common errors in sample collection that affect laboratory tests, clinicians should consult our Order of Blood Draw Table as well as our Tube Guide.
Read our COVID-19 antibody test interpretation guide and frequently asked questions.
StatTesting
For immediate results, we offer stat testing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We report arterial blood gases within 10 minutes, troponin I within 60 minutes, and all other stat tests within 90 minutes of receipt in the lab. For a list of specific tests offered, see the Stat Test Menu.
To avoid common errors in sample collection, note that:
- Draw blood gases in heparinized syringes and mix after collection
- Send lactate (gray top tube) and ammonia (green top tubes) on ice
- Be sure that BNP (lavender top tube) specimens arrive at the lab within four hours of drawing
- Send Troponin I in a heparinized, green top tube. We reflex troponins >1.0 ng/mL to perform CKMB testing.
Point-of-Care Testing (POCT)
The Director of Chemistry is responsible for the management of the POCT program and is the Chair of the medical center Point of Care Testing Committee. The POCT Committee must approve any additions or deletions of POC tests from the approved list. The Medical Director/Physician-in-Charge and Clinical Nurse Manager of the requesting site must make ask for any such changes.
The Point of Care Testing program includes more than 100 glucometers, 22 blood gas analyzers, and 30 urinalysis devices. Feel free to bring glucometers and urinalysis devices requiring replacement to the STAT Lab (Icahn Building room 8-56) to exchange them for working devices. In addition, send blood gas specimens to the main lab on Icahn 8 (pneumatic tube stations xx and yy) if your POCT analyzers are not functioning properly.
A list of POCT tests offered and POCT critical values are available.
Specialized Testing
We also offer a range of specialized and group tests, including the following:
- The immunology laboratory offers a wide variety of tests to diagnose abnormalities in protein metabolism and autoimmune diseases.
- We test for infectious disease markers seven days a week.
- We offer Rapid HIV to the Emergency Medicine Department or in consultation with the Infection Control Department only.
- We offer fetal fibronectin 24 hours a day, seven days a week for patients in pre-term labor.
- We perform sweat chloride collection and determination, in association with Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, which is a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation approved lab. We schedule sweat collections through the Department of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine for Tuesday mornings.
- We offer a wide variety of tests for therapeutic drugs, including immunosuppressants, amino glycosides, anti-epileptics, as well as urine toxicology screenings, seven days a week.