Specimen Retention
The laboratory will retain specimens in each of the technical areas according to the following guidelines:
Cellular Microscopy:
- Blood specimens – 1 day ambient (York); 3 days refrigerated (Gettysburg)
- Urine specimens – 2 days refrigerated
- Other body fluids – 7 days refrigerated
- CSF - 1 Month
Chemistry:
- Blood, Urine and Other body fluid specimens – 3 days refrigerated
- Urine for Drugs of Abuse testing – 7 days refrigerated
- Blood for alcohol/drugs confirmation testing – 3 months refrigerated
Cytopathology:
- Unpreserved Nono-Gynecologic fluid specimens – 2 days refrigerated from date of receipt in AP.
- Preserved Gynecologic and Non-Gynecologic specimens – 3 weeks ambient from date of processing.
- Slides – Gynecologic - 5 years
- Slides – Non-Gynecologic – 10 years
Referral Testing:
- Central Pennsylvania Alliance Laboratory – 7 days refrigerated/frozen
- Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute-Chantilly – 10-14 days refrigerated/frozen.
- Specimens are sent to various other reference laboratories and each lab has different retention times. Please call Referral Department for York at (717) 851-2598 and for Gettysburg at (717) 339-2317 for information.
Surgical Pathology:
- Fresh tissue specimens – 3 weeks refrigerated from date of receipt as long as case has been verified; otherwise 2 weeks from verification date
- Preserved tissue specimens – 3 weeks ambient from date of receipt as long as case has been verified; otherwise 2 weeks from verification date
- Prepared slides or blocks – 10 years
- Autopsy-Non-Coroner:
- Fresh tissue specimen – 6 months frozen at -70C from case verification date
- Preserved tissue specimen - 6 months ambient from case verification date after receiving written permission by verifying Pathologist
- Prepared slides or blocks – 10 years
Transfusion Services:
- Product Order-RBCs – 3 days refrigerated
- Type & Screen – 3 days refrigerated
- Tubes to hold – 3 days refrigerated
- Cord Blood specimens – 5 days refrigerated
- Prenatal specimens – 3 days refrigerated
- Prenatal antibody titers – kept frozen throughout pregnancy (York).