Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
PREPARATION
- Consult your doctor about the medications you must take and discontinue all others.
- Obtain a clean, dry, rigid plastic container with a capacity of 2 liters (minimum 1.5 liters). Use rigid plastic bottles or containers that have not previously contained detergents, bleach, or soft drinks, and wash them thoroughly with water.
- Request the bottle with preservative (hydrochloric acid; 10 cm³ for adults or 5 cm³ for children) from the laboratory. Caution: Hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive; avoid spills and contact with skin; keep out of reach of children.
- Prepare for the test for three days, and on the fourth day, continuing with the regimen, begin collecting urine.
- Collect 24-hour urine with hydrochloric acid. Test preparation:
- Do not engage in strenuous exercise on the day before the sample is collected.
- It is best to start collecting urine early in the morning (e.g., between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.).
- It is advisable not to collect urine during menstruation. If it is necessary to do so during this period, it is recommended to use a tampon and wash the area thoroughly with water before each urination.
For 3 days before collecting urine:
- Do not eat bananas, tomatoes, chocolate, cocoa, cream, cakes, ice cream, or any food that may contain vanilla.
- Do not take aspirin and discontinue any medication that has not been prescribed by your doctor.
- Do not drink coffee, tea, or mate.
- Do not drink alcoholic beverages, or do so in moderation.
- From the day before: Do not smoke.
On the fourth day, collect the urine, continuing with the same regimen. 24-hour urine collection:
1. On the morning of the test, continuing with the regimen, urinate normally upon waking up, discarding that urine. Note the time when this was done.
2. From that moment on, place the preservative in the collection container and collect all urine eliminated during the day and the following night in the same container. Keep all collected urine in the refrigerator or in a cool place, protecting it from heat.
3. If the container is not large enough, transfer approximately half of the urine collected to another container and then alternately place all subsequent urine samples in one container and then the other. If necessary, do the same with a third container. All urine samples must be preserved with acid.
4. The next morning, at the same time you discarded the first urine sample, urinate for the last time and collect it in the container (if, in addition to this test, your doctor has requested a complete urine analysis, the first urine sample of the following day should be collected in a separate container).
5. Take all containers to the laboratory as soon as possible. Very important: To obtain valid and reliable results, it is necessary to collect all urine over a 24-hour period without losing any portion, even if this requires using several containers and taking them to the laboratory. It is also very important to strictly observe the start and end times, not continuing beyond 24 hours.
WHERE TO CONDUCT THE STUDY
Admission must be done at the reception desk.
