Lactate Dehydrogenase

Testing Laboratory

Auckland Te Toka Tumai | Auckland Hospital

Department

Chemical Pathology

Delphic Registration Code (Alpha Code)

SLDH

Test Code (Numeric Code)

0138

Laboratory Handling

Separating

If separation of blood is delayed for more than 3h, LDH leaks from red cells and falsely elevated LDH activity levels will be seen.

Sample Stability

7 days at 15-25°C, 4 days at 2-8°C, 6 weeks at -20°C

Synonyms

LD, Serum LDH

Turnaround Time

3 hours

Specimen Type

  • Plasma
  • Serum

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • Lithium Heparin PST- Gel (Light Green Cap)
Acceptable
  • Lithium Heparin - Non-gel (Green Cap)
  • Plain (Red Top)
  • SST II (Gold Cap)

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • Heparin (Microtainer)
Acceptable
  • Plain(Microtainer)
  • SST(Microtainer)

Additional Specimen Information

PST 4.5 mL PST Blood (Preferred)
Micro-PST 0.5 mL Paediatric Micro-PST Blood (Preferred)
Heparin 5 mL Heparin Blood
Plain 4 mL Plain Blood
SST 3.5 mL SST Blood
Microsample 0.5 mL Paediatric Microsample Blood
Micro-heparin 0.5 mL Paediatric Micro-heparin Blood

Last updated: 30/03/2026