Calcium, Plasma

Overview
Department	Biochemistry
Test Code	PCCA
Synonyms	Ca Ca2+
Turnaround Time	1 - 2 hours
Stability – Add test	8 hours
Specimen Requirements
Specimen Type	7 mL red top or 5 mL Li-Hep green-top
Specimen Transportation
Preferred
Pediatric Requirements	Li Hep Microtainer paediatric tube 600 µL
Aliquot Requirements
Sample Type	100 µL plasma or serum
Minimum Volume
Aliquot Transportation
Clinical Information
Reference Intervals	2.2 - 2.6 mmol/L
Test Method	Abbott c8000 series analyser using Abbott reagents.
Advanced Notice	Not Required
Patient Preparation
Comments
All Calcium requests will be reported with a corrected calcium value. Corrected Calcium = Calcium + 0.012*(39.9 - Albumin) Prolonged stasis during venepuncture and haemolysis will give false high values  For baseline level, patient should be fasted for 12 hours and seated for 20 minutes prior to specimen collection.