Test Code T3 Total T3, LAB136
Performing Laboratory
St. Luke's Hospital Cedar Rapids
Specimen Requirements
Container/Tube:
Preferred: Green top (Lithium Heparin)
Acceptable: Plain, red-top serum tube or Gold SST tube
Specimen Volume: 0.3 mL
Minimum volume: 0.018 mL plus dead volume
Stability: Room temperature for 8 days, 14 days at 2 – 8 °C or 12 months frozen at -20° Celsius
Reference Values
80-200 ng/dL
Day(s) Test Set Up
Monday through Sunday
Methodology
Chemiluminescence Immunoassay
Test Classification and CPT Coding
84480
Useful For
Thyroid function
Diagnostically, T3 concentration is more sensitive to certain thyroid conditions than T4. While T4 levels are sensitive indicator of hypothyroidism, T3 blood levels better define hyperthyroidism.
Analytical Time
STAT: within one hour of receipt
Routine: within 2 hours of receipt