Specimen Requirements

Preferred Collection Container: 

Red (No Additive)

Also Acceptable Collection Container: 

Green No Gel (Lithium Heparin)
Lavender (EDTA)

Collection Information: 

Serum (Red top) or plasma (Green or Lavender top). For consistency, using the same specimen matrix for individual patients is a good practice. Gel separator tubes are NOT acceptable.

Transport Information: 

3.0 mL blood

Minimum Sample Volume: 

0.5 mL of blood (0.1 mL serum or plasma)

Remarks: 

This levetiracetam (Keppra) immunoassay uses the ARK Diagnostics reagents, which has known cross-reactivity with the drug brivaracetam (Briviact) and may report inaccurate results. Patients transitioning from levetiracetam to brivaracetam or those who are using both medications should not monitor drug concentrations with the ARK Diagnostics assay. These patients should be monitored using a validated chromatographic methodology that distinguishes between drugs to determine drug concentrations.