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Test Code PETH Phosphatidylethanol Confirmation, Blood


Specimen Required


Container/Tube: Lavender top (EDTA)

Specimen Volume: 1 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Do not use alcohol to clean arm. Use alternatives such as Betadine or ChloraPrep to cleanse arm before collecting any specimen.

2. Do not centrifuge.

3. Send whole blood specimen in original tube. Do not aliquot.


Useful For

Verifying abstinence or use of ethanol, especially in liver transplant candidates/patients

Method Name

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Reporting Name

Phosphatidylethanol Confirmation, B

Specimen Type

Whole Blood EDTA

Specimen Minimum Volume

0.5 mL

Specimen Stability Information

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Whole Blood EDTA Frozen (preferred) 28 days
  Refrigerated  14 days

Reject Due To

Gross lipemia OK
Gross icterus OK

Clinical Information

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a direct biomarker for alcohol (ethanol) intake. In presence of ethanol, phosphatidylcholine is converted to PEth on the red blood cell membrane by the phospholipase D enzyme. PEth homologues (16:0/18:1 [POPEth: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanol] and 16:0/18:2 [PLPEth: 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanol]) levels correlate with the amount of alcohol consumed within the previous 2 weeks and may be detected in the blood up to 2 to 4 weeks after excessive alcohol consumption. POPEth and PLPEth comprise approximately 60% of all observed PEth homologues in the blood.(1)

Reference Values

Negative (<10 ng/mL)

 

PEth 16:0/18:1 (POPEth): Lower limit of quantification =10 ng/mL

PEth 16:0/18:2 (PLPEth): Lower limit of quantification =10 ng/mL

Day(s) Performed

Monday through Sunday

Report Available

2 to 5 days

Performing Laboratory

Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester

Test Classification

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

CPT Code Information

80321

G0480 (if appropriate)

Forms

If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send 1 of the following with the specimen:

-Therapeutics Test Request (T831)

-General Test Request (T239)

-Renal Diagnostics Test Request (T830)