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Protein C Activity (LAB002081)
Test Mnemonic:

Protein C Activity
Specimen Requirements:
Collection:

Routine venipuncture; discard 1st mL of blood by collecting a discard tube prior to collecting the blue-topped (3.2% sodium-citrate) tube.  For collections with butterfly blood collection sets, a discard tube should also be collected prior to collection of the blue top to ensure sufficient sample volume. Drawing a discard tube will displace the air from the blood collection set tubing to ensure proper blood draw volume. 
Container:

Blue-topped (3.2% sodium-citrate) tube
Minimum Volume:

1 mL
Storage/Transport:
 If delivery time is to be greater than 4 hours from time of draw, centrifuge the specimen for 15 minutes at 
2000-2500g. 
  1. Transfer plasma to 12x75 plastic tube
  2. Cap tube and re-spin for 15 minutes at 2000-2500g
  3. CAREFULLY, remove from centrifuge without disturbing any      platelets and/or cell pellets that might be on the bottom or sides of the tube.
  4. Carefully transfer plasma into freezer tubes (plastic screw-top cryo-tubes) for testing or freezing and be sure to tape the patient's label onto the tube.
Specimen Preparation:
Fill within +/- 10% from stated capacity. Immediately after draw, gently invert 3-4 times

 
Stability:

Ambient - 4 hours; Refrigerated - Unacceptable; Frozen -20oC - 8 hours, at -70oC - 6 months 
Causes for Rejection:

QNS, clotted, severely hemolyzed specimen, specimen greater than 4 hours old, wrong tube, high hematocrit (> 55%), sample identification error, sample processed/transported, and/or stored improperly
Reference Range:

70 - 140%
Turnaround Time:

The hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with an expected TAT of 4 hours. STAT requests after business hours will be evaluated and handled by the on-call staff member.
Methodology:

Chromogenic
Performed:
Lab:

CLS Specialty Lab

Click to view CLS Specialty Lab website  
Synonyms:

Protein C Functional, Protein C Assay, Protein C Activity
CPT 4 Code:

85303
When ordering tests for which Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement will be sought, physicians should only order tests that are medically necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of the patient. Components of the organ or disease panels may be ordered individually. The diagnostic information must substantiate all tests ordered and must be in the form of an ICD-10 code or its verbal equivalent.
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