| Ordering Code | 148 |
|---|---|
| Test Name | CO2 |
| Alias | Carbon Dioxide Bicarbonate |
| Preferred Specimen | Serum |
| Preferred Container | SST (Gold) |
| Other Specimen/Container | Serum in Plain (Red), Plasma in Lithium Heparin (Green-PST), Plasma in Lithium Heparin (Dark Green-PP No Gel) |
| Optimum Volume | 1 mL |
| Handling Instructions | All specimen types must be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection. If no gel separation present in tube and testing is delayed, plasma/serum is aliquoted from cells within 2 hours of collection. Keep specimen &/or aliquot samples capped. |
| Transport Requirements | Oahu: Ambient Airline: Refrigerated |
| Specimen Stability | Ambient: 24 Hours Refrigerated: 2 Days Once sample has been uncapped, it is stable refrigerated for 4 hours only Frozen: 1 Month (Aliquot) Frozen samples should be thawed only once. |
| Rejection Criteria | Specimen older than stability limits, Grossly hemolyzed, Insufficient quantity, Uncapped or loosely capped specimens/ aliquots |
| Avail. Stat | YES |
| Analytic Time | 1 Day |
| Methodology | Enzymatic-Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase |
Reference range(s)
The reference ranges listed below are valid on this date of July 18, 2025.
| Component | Age | Male Norm | Male Critical Low | Male Critical High | Female Norm | Female Critical High | Female Critical Low | Units | Add'l info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO2 | ALL | 21-31 | <= 10 | >= 40 | 21-31 | >= 40 | <= 10 | mEq/L |