Essential fatty acid analysis is useful in nutritional monitoring of patients with known essential fatty acid disorders or routine nutritional monitoring for intake and absorption of essential fatty acids.

• Patient must fast overnight for 12-14 hours
  • Fasting for a blood test
• Patient must not consume any alcohol for 24 hours prior to collection

Red serum vial/tube, 5 mL

Immediately following collection, mix sample thoroughly by gently inverting 8 - 10, times to prevent clotting

1. Allow sample to clot for a minimum of 30 minutes
2. Spin within 45 min of sample collection
3. Transfer serum to a Transfer vial/tube with cap - 12mL (LabCorp), labelled as serum, within 45 minutes of specimen collection
4. Freeze

Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp)

Gold serum separator (SST) tube

Lavender (EDTA), 4mL

Dk green Lithium heparin (Li hep), no gel

Gold

Immediately following collection, thoroughly mix sample by gently inverting 5 times

Lavender/Dk green

Immediately following collection, mix sample thoroughly by gently inverting 5 - 10 times, to prevent clotting

Gold

1. Allow sample to clot for a minimum of 30 minutes
2. Spin within 45 min of sample collection
3. Transfer serum to a Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp), labelled as serum, within 45 minutes of sample collection
4. Freeze

Lavender/Dk green

1. Spin within 45 min of sample collection
2. Transfer plasma to a Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp), labelled as the appropriate plasma type
3. Freeze

Include information regarding:

• Treatment
• Family history 
• Tentative diagnosis

Frozen (preferred) - 30 days

• Grossly hemolyzed or lipemic specimens
• Non-fasting specimens
• Thawed or not frozen specimens

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)

An interpretive report will be provided