Carbamazepine (Blood)

Testing Laboratory

Auckland Te Toka Tumai | Auckland Hospital

Department

Chemical Pathology

Delphic Registration Code (Alpha Code)

TEG

Test Code (Numeric Code)

0830

Laboratory Handling

Phlebotomy

The quoted therapeutic range is for trough concentrations; specimens should be collected shortly before administering the next dose of the drug.
PST / SST samples are NOT suitable for this test.

Registration

Only dark heparin (non-gel) tubes are acceptable. If a Micro heparin or a micro PST arrive please register MH and US (treat as a query correct). Carbamazepine/Tegretol will not attach to MH.

Laboratory

Automation Staff: You will be given the sample and a copy of the form (Query correct process).
If the sample is a dark green Micro Heparin then please process under the US suffix and put an internal comment in IT3000 stating you have checked that the sample is suitable for analysis.
If the sample is a light green Micro PST then please report with unsuitable comment.

Sample Stability

2 days at 20-25°C, 7 days at 2-8°C, 4 weeks at -20°C

Synonyms

Tegretol

Turnaround Time

3 hours

Specimen Type

  • Plasma
  • Serum

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • Lithium Heparin - Non-gel (Green Cap)
Acceptable
  • Plain (Red Top)
Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

5

Minimum Sample Volume (ml)

4

No of Samples Required

1

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • Lithium Heparin - Non-gel (Green Cap)
Acceptable
  • Plain (Red Top)
Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

0.5

Minimum Sample Volume (ml)

0.5

Pre-testing Requirements

0.5 mL Paediatric Microtainer Heparin Blood
0.5 mL Paediatric Microtainer Plain Blood

Last updated: 23/07/2026