Potassium is a mineral necessary for maintaining fluid balance in the body. It is vital for a number of functions, including all muscle contractions. Having too much potassium (hyperkalemia) or too little potassium (hypokalemia) in the body can result in side effects such as fatigue, dehydration and---more seriously---heart conditions. If these or other symptoms occur, a blood test or urine test is ordered.
Urine Test
Step 1
Obtain a urine sample cup from a physician's office or laboratory.
Step 2
When you first wake up, urinate in the toilet (do not collect this urine as a sample).
Step 3
Collect each additional urine sample you produce in the urine container for a 24-hour period. Return the urine container to the refrigerator or another cool place each time after you collect a sample.
Step 4
Collect a urine sample the following morning.
Step 5
Continue to keep the sample cool until it is returned to the laboratory for testing. Be sure to label the container with your name, date and completion time.
Blood Testing
Step 1
Offer your nondominant arm to the laboratory technologist, who will clean the blood draw site with an antiseptic.
Step 2
The technologist will wrap an elastic band around the upper arm, which will expose a vein for drawing blood.
Step 3
The provider will then insert a needle into the arm to collect the blood into a vial.
Step 4
The vial is then taken to a laboratory to measure the potassium levels in the blood.
Things You'll Need
- -Physicians order for a laboratory test
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