Test Catalog

Test Id : AST

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Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) (GOT), Serum

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Overview

Test Catalog

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

Diagnosing and monitoring liver disease, particularly diseases resulting in a destruction of hepatocytes

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

Photometric Rate, L-Aspartate with Pyridoxyl-5-Phosphate

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

Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), S

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

GOT

SGOT

Transaminase, SGOT

AST

Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing

Serum

Necessary Information

Patient's age and sex are required.

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

Collection Container/Tube:

Preferred: Serum gel

Acceptable: Red top

Specimen Volume: 0.5 mL

Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial

Collection Instructions:

1. Serum gel tubes should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection.

2. Red-top tubes should be centrifuged, and the serum aliquoted into a plastic vial within 2 hours of collection.

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.

0.25 mL

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

Gross hemolysis 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
Serum Refrigerated (preferred) 7 days
Frozen 30 days
Ambient 7 days

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

Diagnosing and monitoring liver disease, particularly diseases resulting in a destruction of hepatocytes

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

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is found in high concentrations in liver, heart, skeletal muscle, and kidney. AST is present in both cytoplasm and mitochondria of cells. In cases involving mild tissue injury, the predominant form of AST is that from the cytoplasm. Severe tissue damage results in more of the mitochondrial enzyme being released. High levels of AST can be found in cases such as myocardial infarction, acute liver cell damage, viral hepatitis, and carbon tetrachloride poisoning. Slight to moderate elevation of AST is seen in muscular dystrophy, dermatomyositis, acute pancreatitis, and crushed muscle injuries.

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.

Males

0-11 months: not established

1-13 years: 8-60 U/L

> or =14 years: 8-48 U/L

Females

0-11 months: not established

1-13 years: 8-50 U/L

> or =14 years: 8-43 U/L

Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results

Elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) values are seen in parenchymal liver diseases characterized by a destruction of hepatocytes. Values are typically at least 10 times above the normal range. Levels may reach values as high as 100 times the upper reference limit, although 20- to 50-fold elevations are most frequently encountered. In infectious hepatitis and other inflammatory conditions affecting the liver, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is characteristically as high as or higher than AST, and the ALT:AST ratio, which normally and in other condition is less than 1, becomes greater than unity. AST levels are usually elevated before clinical signs and symptoms of disease appear. Five- to 10-fold elevations of both AST and ALT occur in patients with primary or metastatic carcinoma of the liver, with AST usually being higher than ALT, but levels are often normal in the early stages of malignant infiltration of the liver. Elevations of ALT activity persist longer than do those of AST activity. Elevated AST values may also be seen in disorders affecting the heart, skeletal muscle, and kidney.

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

Pyridoxal phosphate is a cofactor in the reaction and is necessary for enzyme activity.

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

Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry. Edited by CA Burtis, ER Ashwood. Philadelphia, WB Saunders Company, 1994

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

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is measured by a coupled enzyme kinetic method where the rate of decrease of NADH, determined at 340 nm, is directly proportional to the AST activity.(Package insert: Roche AST reagent, Indianapolis, IN, January 2000)

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.

Same day/1 to 2 days

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

1 week

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 has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.

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.

84450

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
AST Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), S 30239-8
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.
AST Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), S 30239-8

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