Laboratory Drug Testing: Methods, Concepts and Case Studies



The focus of this presentation is on understanding the laboratory’s role drug testing in the context of therapeutic drug monitoring, pain manangement, and drug abuse. Testing methods and principles including immunoassays and various mass spectrometry techniques are highlighted and comparisons are made between urine and serum regarding detection times and drug metabolite targets. In the context of several case studies, drug metabolism is reviewed and the broader concept of screening vs. confirmation testing is discussed.

Originally presented October 16, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lecture Presenter

Frederick Strathmann, PhD, DABCC (CC, TC)

Medical Director, Toxicology Laboratory, ARUP Laboratories

Co-Director, Automated Core Laboratory, ARUP Laboratories

Assistant Professor of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine

Dr. Strathmann is a medical director of the Toxicology Laboratory and co-director of the Automated Core Laboratory at ARUP, as well as an assistant professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Strathmann received his PhD in pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Rochester in New York, completed a clinical chemistry fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, and is ABCC board certified in clinical chemistry and toxicological chemistry.

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

Gain general knowledge of the technology available for drug testing along with each technology’s benefits and limitations.

Understand how drug concentration is impacted by the testing matrix (or specimen type), biological clearance rates, and dose vs. collection time.

Understanding and interpreting lab results when they are inconsistent with expectations.

Sponsored by:



University of Utah School of Medicine and ARUP Laboratories