In the Toxicology department of Alverno laboratories we utilize state of the art Mass Spectrometry technology to identify drugs, chemicals, and toxic substances in various bodily fluids that may affect the patient.
Extensive Urine Drug Confirmation Testing
The extensive urine drug confirmation testing is an 84-analyte comprehensive panel that tests for commonly prescribed medications and drugs of abuse that have a high abuse or drug diversion potential. Obtained results are then compared to the patient’s medication list and are interpretated for consistency or inconsistency with medication list.
- Urine detection window are typically less than 5 days.
- This panel is used to support providers in Pain Management and Behavioral Health.
Occupational Health Drug Confirmations
Occupational health drug confirmation testing aligns with SAMSHA guidelines for Workplace Drug Testing.
Immunosuppressants in Whole Blood
Immunosuppressant drugs are a class of drugs that suppress or reduce the strength of the body’s immune system. One of the primary uses of immunosuppressant drugs is to lower the body’s ability to reject a transplanted organ, such as a liver, heart, or kidney. Almost everyone who receives an organ transplant must take immunosuppressant drugs as the body recognizes a transplanted organ as a foreign mass, triggering triggers a response by the body’s immune system to attack it. By weakening the immune system, immunosuppressant drugs decrease the body’s reaction to the foreign organ, allowing the transplanted organ to remain healthy and free from damage. The immunosuppressant drugs in a patient’s regimen are adjusted and may eventually be reduced. As the risk of organ rejection lessens over time, the need for these medications may decrease. However, most people who have had a transplant will have to take at least one immunosuppressant drug for their lifetime. Regular blood tests are used to monitor the effectiveness of the drugs, the potential for toxicity, and the need for adjustments.
Analytes tested include:
- Cyclosporine
- Tacrolimus
- Sirolimus
- Everolimus
25-Hydroxyvitamin D2 and D3 Differential
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble vitamins involved in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus levels in the body.1 Research has shown that vitamin D deficiencies are linked to colon and breast cancers,2 impaired bone mineralization, rickets in children, and possible osteoporosis in adults.3 The two major forms are vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Vitamin D3 and Vitamin D2 behave similarly in the body and are synonymous in this method.  Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin exposed to ultraviolet B radiation from sunlight or consumed in food whereas Vitamin D2 is from ingestion through diet. Vitamin D3 and Vitamin D2 is converted to 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3/2 (25-OH-Vitamin D3/2) in the liver and then further hydroxylated to 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3/2, the major biologically active hormone in the kidneys. Vitamin D is stored in the body as 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3/D2 and is the commonly measured clinical parameter to determine Vitamin D requirements.
-  Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D. National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
- Holick, M.F., Sunlight and Vitamin D for Bone Health and Prevention of Autoimmune Diseases, Cancers, and Cardiovascular Disease. Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century: Bone and Beyond, (2004) American Society for Clinical Nutrition, 80 (6), pages 1678-1688.
- Rajakumar, K., Vitamin D, Cod-Liver Oil, Sunlight, and Rickets:  A Historical Perspective. (2003) Pediatrics 112 (2), pages 132-135.
Leads in Whole Blood
Lead exposure is toxic and can result in many adverse health effects such as neurological, renal, hematological, endocrine, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and reproductive. Testing of whole blood samples allows for detection of lead in the blood to assist in proper monitoring protocols or chelation treatments.