Sputum Cytology: How It Is Done

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How It Is Done

Home or office sample

Three sputum samples are usually collected over 3 days. Your doctor will give you a container to collect the sputum. This container may have a small amount of liquid (called fixative) in it. The fixative helps preserve the sample. Do not drink this liquid.

For best results, collect the sample in the morning right after waking up. Follow these steps:

• If you wear dentures, remove them before collecting the sample.
• Rinse your mouth with water.
• Take about four deep breaths followed by a few short coughs, then inhale deeply and cough forcefully into the container. Sputum is not the same as saliva, so make sure to get a sample of mucus from deep in your airway.

Carefully follow your doctor's instructions about where to deliver the sample. You may be instructed to take the sample to the doctor's office or to a laboratory. Deliver the sample soon after you obtain it. You may be instructed to refrigerate the sample if you are unable to deliver it immediately.

Bronchoscopy sample

See the medical test Bronchoscopy for detailed information on how this procedure is done.

Last updated:	March 21, 2007
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Robert L. Cowie, MB, FCP(SA), MD, MSc, MFOM - Pulmonology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer