| Ordering Code | 6008 |
|---|---|
| Test Name | Procalcitonin |
| Alias | PCT |
| Preferred Specimen | Plasma |
| Preferred Container | Lithium Heparin PST (Green) |
| Other Specimen/Container | Serum in SST (Gold), Serum in Plain (Red), Plasma in Lithium Heparin (Dark Green-PP No Gel) |
| Optimum Volume | 1 mL |
| Handling Instructions | All specimen types must be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection. If no gel separation present in tube and testing is delayed, plasma/serum is aliquoted from cells within 2 hours of collection. |
| Transport Requirements | Oahu: Refrigerated Airline: Refrigerated |
| Specimen Stability | Ambient: 16 Hours Refrigerated: 2 Days Frozen: 75 Days (Aliquot) Frozen samples should be thawed no more than 3 times. |
| Rejection Criteria | Insufficient quantity, Specimen older than stability limits, Grossly hemolyzed, Lipemic, and Icteric samples |
| Avail. Stat | Patients of the testing hospital only |
| Analytic Time | 1 Day |
| Methodology | Chemiluminescent Immunoassay - Two-site Sequential Sandwich |
Reference range(s)
The reference ranges listed below are valid on this date of March 12, 2026.
| Component | Age | Male Norm | Male Critical Low | Male Critical High | Female Norm | Female Critical High | Female Critical Low | Units | Add'l info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procalcitonin | ALL | <0.10 | <0.10 | ng/mL | A PCT... Note1 |
Note1:
A PCT concentration of 0.1-0.5 ng/mL may indicate a clinically relevant bacterial infection, but low risk for developing severe sepsis or septic shock. A PCT value of 0.5-2.0 ng/mL suggests that the patient may be at a higher risk for developing severe sepsis or septic shock. A PCT value of >2.0 ng/mL indicates high risk for developing severe sepsis or septic shock
Serial testing at 24-hour intervals is recommended
(Further information is available at https://dlslab.com/procalcitonin) .