The test is performed to detect the presence of Nicotine and Cotinine in urine. This helps determine whether the patient has used tobacco recently or not. Nicotine has a half-life of 40 minutes and its presence means that the patient has used tobacco recently. Cotinine which is a major nicotine metabolite has a 24-hour half-life and can be used to find if the patient has used tobacco within a week or not.
