yfn pcm unikl-rcmp

Procedure for Urine Testing Using Combur-Test Strips of Roche

Diagnostics
Dr Yap Foo Ngan
Primary Care, RCMP

A. Combur-Test: Urine collection

i.
ii.
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v.
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viii.
ix.

Use first morning urine and ensure midstream collection.

Use clean urine containers, preferably sealed and disposable; do not use any
containers contaminated with detergents from cleaning.
Do not add any preservatives to the urine sample.
Do not test specimens with bacterial or chemical contamination.
Do not centrifuge or freeze urine specimens if microscopic examination is needed.
Perform urine test within 2 hours after sample collection.
If immediate testing is not possible, store urine at a cool (+ 4C) and dark
place.
Urine samples must have reached room temperature at testing time.
Mix the urine sample thoroughly before testing.
Do not touch the test zones with fingers.

B. Combur-Test: Testing procedure

1. Preparation
i.
Check expiry date.
ii.
Take a test strip out & immediately close the container with the desiccant
stopper. (Hands must be dry.)
iii.
Wear gloves.
iv. Read time or start timer.
v. Briefly (not more than 1 second) dip the test strip into the urine making sure
that all test areas are moistened. Do not bend test strips during dipping.
2. Removal of excess urine
i.
Wipe the edge of the strip against the rim of the vessel to remove excess urine.
ii.
Briefly (not more than 1 second) dab the long edge and then the back of the
test strip on an absorbent surface (e.g. paper towel).
Do not dab test strips with the edge on the paper towel for longer time,
or leave the test strip on the paper towel, because this will lead to
excessive removal of the urine, making the test results invalid.

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3. Reading and evaluation

Visual reading
i.
Wait for 60 seconds, but not more than 120 seconds.
ii.
Compare the reaction colors of the test areas with the colors on the label.
Any color changes appearing only along the edges of the test areas, or
developing after more than 2 minutes, do not have any diagnostic
significance.
iii.
Write result in record sheet.
Reading with the Urilux S Analyzer - follow operators's manual.
4. Conclusion
i.
Discard urine test strip into clinical waste bin.
ii.
Remove gloves and discard into clinical waste bin.
iii.
Interpret result.

C. Combur-Test: Storage
Store test strip vials always in a cool and dry place.
Do not transfer test strips from the original packaging into another vial.

Ref:

1. http://www.diavant.com/diavant/CMSFront.html?pgid=3,2,14,0
2. Dr Jacky Ho, RCMP

YapFN_071001

Urine Testing Using Urine Test Strips

Use in primary care:
rapid screening
diseases of the kidney and the urogenital tract
E.g. urinary tract infections
carbohydrate metabolism disorders (diabetes mellitus)
liver diseases
haemolytic disorders

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What do they test for:

(Leu leucocytes; nit nitrite; pro protein; glu glucose; ket ketones; ubg
urobilinogen; bil bilirubin; bld blood)
Limitations: http://www.diavant.com/diavant/CMSFront.html?pgid=3%2C2%2C14%2C1#catalog.data
Parameter
Specific Gravity
Reference range
Physiological range
pH value
First morning urine
During the day
Leukocytes
Reference range
Grey zone
Nitrite
Protein
Albumin
Glucose
First morning urine
During the day
Ketones
Acetoacetic acid
Acetone
Urobilinogen
Bilirubin
Blood
Erythrocytes
Hemoglobin

Reference range

Practical detection limit

1.016 - 1.022
1.002 - 1.035

Range: 1.000 - 1.030

5-6
4.8 - 7.4

Range: 5 - 9

< 10 Leu/l
10 - 20 Leu/l
-

10-25 Leu/l
0.05 mg/dl (11 mol/l)

< 2 mg/dl

6 mg/dl

< 20 mg/dl
< 30 mg/dl

40 mg/dl (2.2 mmol/l)

< 5 mg/dl
< 1 mg/dl

5 mg/dl (0.5 mmol/l)

40 mg/dl (7 mmol/l)
0.4 mg/dl (7mol/l)

< 0.2 mg/dl

0 - 5 Ery/l
-

0.5 mg/dl (9mol/l)

5 Ery/l
0.03 mg/dl Hb

Practical detection limit

Detection limit of a test = concentration at which the test starts to turn from
negative to positive
detection limit may vary from urine to urine

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Practical detection limit = concentration of the analyte which results in a positive

reaction in 90 percent of the examined urines

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