Your doctor has ordered a lab test that will require you to collect a sputum sample in a sterile specimen cup and return it to the lab.

What Is It?

A sputum sample is collected to look for a bacterial or fungal infection in the lungs and airways. This will help your provider give your child the right medicine.

What Do I Need To Do?

1. Preparation. Early morning samples are the most concentrated and therefore the best for collection. After waking, brush your teeth with only toothpaste and rinse your mouth with warm water. Do not use mouthwash or fluoride rinses as they may interfere with the sample.
2. Open the specimen cup and collect the sputum sample directly into the cup. Unscrew the cover on the specimen cup and place the cover, face up, on a flat surface. Do not touch inside the cover or inside the specimen cup. Breathe deeply or huff cough to produce sputum. If you cannot produce a sample, try doing chest physiotherapy or a vest treatment which may help to loosen mucus.
3. Re-cap the specimen cup securely. After you have collected the sputum sample in the specimen cup, put on the cap securely to prevent leaking.
4. Label the specimen cup. Be sure to label the cup with your full name, date and time of sputum collection. Place in the biohazard bag provided.
5. Deliver the specimen cup to the lab. Place in refrigerator if unable to bring sample to any Children’s WI laboratory within one hour of collection. Bring the sample cup to any Children’s WI laboratory within 12hr of collection.

Helpful Hints.

• Avoid a lot of salvia in the sample. Obvious saliva should not be in the specimen.
• Specimens should be collected directly into the specimen cup.