Test Catalog

Test Id : PCPMX

Phencyclidine (PCP) Confirmation, Chain of Custody, Meconium

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Detection of in utero drug exposure up to 5 months before birth

 

Chain of custody is required whenever the results of testing could be used in a court of law. Its purpose is to protect the rights of the individual contributing the specimen by demonstrating that it was always under the control of personnel involved with testing the specimen; this control implies that the opportunity for specimen tampering would be limited. Since the evidence of illicit drug use during pregnancy can be cause for separating the baby from the mother, a complete chain of custody ensures that the test results are appropriate for legal proceedings.

Additional Tests
Lists tests that are always performed, at an additional charge, with the initial tests.

Test Id Reporting Name Available Separately Always Performed
COCH Chain of Custody Processing No Yes

Method Name
A short description of the method used to perform the test

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

NY State Available
Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.

Yes

Reporting Name
Lists a shorter or abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test

Phencyclidine Confirmation, CoC, M

Aliases
Lists additional common names for a test, as an aid in searching

Angel Dust (Phencyclidine)

Killer Weed (Phencyclidine)

Meconium

PCP (Phencyclidine)

Phencyclidine (PCP)

Rocket Fuel (Phencyclidine)

TCP (Phencyclidine)

Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing

Meconium

Specimen Required
Defines the optimal specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing

Supplies: Chain of Custody Meconium Kit (T653) includes the specimen containers, seals, and documentation required

Specimen Volume: 1 g (approximately 1 teaspoon)

Collection Instructions: Collect entire random meconium specimen.

Additional Information:

1. Specimen that arrives with a broken seal does not meet the chain of custody requirements.

2. The laboratory recommends sending chain-of-custody specimens by overnight shipment.

Forms

1. Chain of Custody Request is included in the Chain-of-Custody Meconium Kit (T653).

2. If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send a Therapeutics Test Request (T831) with the specimen.

Specimen Minimum Volume
Defines the amount of sample necessary to provide a clinically relevant result as determined by the testing laboratory. The minimum volume is sufficient for one attempt at testing.

0.3 g (approximately 1/4 teaspoon)

Reject Due To
Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected

Grossly bloody specimen Reject
Pink-colored specimen OK
Stool
Diapers
Reject

Specimen Stability Information
Provides a description of the temperatures required to transport a specimen to the performing laboratory, alternate acceptable temperatures are also included

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Meconium Frozen (preferred) 28 days
Ambient 28 days
Refrigerated 28 days

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Detection of in utero drug exposure up to 5 months before birth

 

Chain of custody is required whenever the results of testing could be used in a court of law. Its purpose is to protect the rights of the individual contributing the specimen by demonstrating that it was always under the control of personnel involved with testing the specimen; this control implies that the opportunity for specimen tampering would be limited. Since the evidence of illicit drug use during pregnancy can be cause for separating the baby from the mother, a complete chain of custody ensures that the test results are appropriate for legal proceedings.

Clinical Information
Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test

Phencyclidine (PCP) was originally developed as an anesthetic in the 1950s but later was abandoned because of a high frequency of postoperative delirium with hallucinations. It was classed as a dissociative anesthetic because, in the anesthetized state, the patient remains conscious with staring gaze, flat facies, and rigid muscles.(1) PCP binds with high affinity to sites located in the cortex and limbic structures, resulting in blocking of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors.(1) PCP became a drug of abuse in the 1970s because of its hallucinogenic effects.(1,2)

 

PCP is approximately 65% protein bound and has a volume of distribution of 5.3 to 7.5 L/kg. The drug is metabolized by the liver via oxidative hydroxylation and has a dose-dependent half-life ranging from 7 to 46 hours.(2)

 

Meconium is the first fecal material passed by the neonate. Meconium forms in the first trimester of pregnancy but is seldom excreted before the 34th week. It is composed of approximately 70% water, bile acids, cholesterol, squamous cells, protein and drug metabolites, and no bacteria are normally present. Prebirth excretion of meconium is a sign of fetal distress.

 

Because drugs and metabolites can accumulate in meconium, assessment of meconium for the presence of illicit drugs can be an indicator of maternal drug use during pregnancy. Illicit drug use during pregnancy can have a profound effect on fetal development.

 

The disposition of drug in meconium is not well understood. The proposed mechanism is that the fetus excretes drug into bile and amniotic fluid. Drug accumulates in meconium either by direct deposit from bile or through swallowing of amniotic fluid.(3) The first evidence of meconium in the fetal intestine appears at approximately the 10th to 12th week of gestation, and slowly moves into the colon by the 16th week of gestation.(4) Therefore, the presence of drugs in meconium has been proposed to be indicative of in utero drug exposure during the final 4 to 5 months of pregnancy, a longer historical measure than is possible by urinalysis.(3)

 

Chain of custody is a record of the disposition of a specimen to document each individual who collected, handled, and performed the analysis. When a specimen is submitted in this manner, analysis will be performed in such a way that it will withstand regular court scrutiny.

Reference Values
Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.

Negative

Positives are reported with a quantitative liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry result.

Cutoff concentration: 5 ng/g

Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results

The presence of phencyclidine in meconium is indicative of in utero drug exposure up to 5 months before birth.

Cautions
Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances

Because the results of this test may have legal ramifications, it is recommended that testing be performed using chain of custody. A kit including all the materials necessary to complete chain of custody is available to ensure the test results are appropriate for legal proceedings.

Clinical Reference
Recommendations for in-depth reading of a clinical nature

1. O'Brien CP. Drug addiction and drug abuse. In: Brunton LL, Lazo JS, Parker KL, eds. Goodman and Gilman's the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 11th ed. McGraw-Hill Book Company; 2006

2. Baselt RC. Phencyclidine. In: Baselt RC, ed. Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man. 10th ed. Biomedical Publications; 2014

3. Ostrea EM Jr, Brady MJ, Parks PM, Asensio DC, Naluz A. Drug screening of meconium in infants of drug-dependent mothers: an alternative to urine testing. J Pediatr. 1989;115(3):474-477

4. Ahanya SN, Lakshmanan J, Morgan BL, Ross MG. Meconium passage in utero mechanisms, consequences, and management. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2005;60(1):45-56; quiz 73-74

5. Langman LJ, Bechtel LK, Holstege CP. Clinical toxicology. In: Rifai N, Chiu RWK, Young I, Burnham C-AD, Wittwer CT, eds. Tietz Textbook of Laboratory Medicine. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2023:chap 43

6. Langman LJ, Rushton AM, Thomas D, et al. Drug testing in support of the diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome: The current situation. Clin Biochem. 2023;111:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2022.11.002

Method Description
Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference

Meconium is mixed with internal standard and extracted with methanol. The methanolic extract is further processed by solid phase extraction. The extract is analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy.(Unpublished Mayo method)

PDF Report
Indicates whether the report includes an additional document with charts, images or other enriched information

No

Day(s) Performed
Outlines the days the test is performed. This field reflects the day that the sample must be in the testing laboratory to begin the testing process and includes any specimen preparation and processing time before the test is performed. Some tests are listed as continuously performed, which means that assays are performed multiple times during the day.

Monday through Sunday

Report Available
The interval of time (receipt of sample at Mayo Clinic Laboratories to results available) taking into account standard setup days and weekends. The first day is the time that it typically takes for a result to be available. The last day is the time it might take, accounting for any necessary repeated testing.

2 to 3 days

Specimen Retention Time
Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded

2 weeks

Performing Laboratory Location
Indicates the location of the laboratory that performs the test

Rochester

Fees :
Several factors determine the fee charged to perform a test. Contact your U.S. or International Regional Manager for information about establishing a fee schedule or to learn more about resources to optimize test selection.

  • Authorized users can sign in to Test Prices for detailed fee information.
  • Clients without access to Test Prices can contact Customer Service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Prospective clients should contact their account representative. For assistance, contact Customer Service.

Test Classification
Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) product.

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

CPT Code Information
Provides guidance in determining the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code(s) information for each test or profile. The listed CPT codes reflect Mayo Clinic Laboratories interpretation of CPT coding requirements. It is the responsibility of each laboratory to determine correct CPT codes to use for billing.

CPT codes are provided by the performing laboratory.

83992

G0480 (if appropriate)

LOINC® Information
Provides guidance in determining the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) values for the order and results codes of this test. LOINC values are provided by the performing laboratory.

Test Id Test Order Name Order LOINC Value
PCPMX Phencyclidine Confirmation, CoC, M 92816-8
Result Id Test Result Name Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
36232 PCP Confirmation, Meconium 92816-8
36233 Interpretation 8232-1
36234 Chain of Custody 77202-0

Test Setup Resources

Setup Files
Test setup information contains test file definition details to support order and result interfacing between Mayo Clinic Laboratories and your Laboratory Information System.

Excel | Pdf

Sample Reports
Normal and Abnormal sample reports are provided as references for report appearance.

Normal Reports | Abnormal Reports

SI Sample Reports
International System (SI) of Unit reports are provided for a limited number of tests. These reports are intended for international account use and are only available through MayoLINK accounts that have been defined to receive them.

SI Normal Reports | SI Abnormal Reports