The hormone epinephrine increases heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolic rate. The antidiuretic hormone (ADH) decreases urine production. Calcitonin lowers blood calcium levels. Melatonin helps set diurnal rhythms and is associated with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

When carrying out a heelstick blood collection on a newborn, the depth of the puncture should be equal to or less than 2 mm. In a newborn, the blood supply is typically located 0.35-1.6 mm below the skin. Thus, a 2 mm depth provides an adequate flow of blood but is generally too shallow to cause injury to the calcaneus. The heelstick should be done on the lateral aspects of the heel rather than the middle or posterior aspects to ensure that the calcaneus is avoided.

The thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test is used to assess thyroid function: GH stands for "growth hormone," and ADH stands for "antidiuretic hormone." GTT is the abbreviation for "glucose tolerance test."

Shoulder-length or longer hair is acceptable in the laboratory if it is tied back Wearing nail polish or large or dangling earrings is not acceptable. A laboratory coat should never be worn when leaving the lab for any reason.

The billing code system that is used for laboratory testing for inpatients is ICD-10-PCS (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Procedure Coding System). It is used to report and bill procedures while patients are hospitalized. Outpatient procedures, on the other hand, are billed using CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes. ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision) is the latest code system for diagnoses, but it has yet to be adopted in the US. The ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification) is still the coding system used in the US for documenting a diagnosis.