Specimen Collection Manual and Test Catalog

1 mL aliquot of serum; minimum 0.5 mL. Please submit a separate frozen aliquot for this test. It may not be combined with any other test requiring a frozen aliquot.

Fasting specimen preferred.

Avoid hemolysis. Centrifuge serum specimens within 1 hour of collection. Immediately pipette serum into "sterile, plastic, screw-capped vial(s) and freeze solid" at -20°C or lower. Do not allow samples to thaw. With multiple tests, submit a separate tube for each test. Send frozen samples on dry ice to the laboratory. Do not submit the sample in a glass tube.

Frozen.

Room Temperature: Unacceptable. 
Refrigerated: Unacceptable. 
Frozen: 7 days.

Gross hemolysis • Lipemia • Received thawed

CH50 values below the reference range may indicate a deficiency in one or more of the components of complement. To obtain more definitive information, abnormal specimens should be assayed for levels of the individual components (C1 to C9). Elevated values of CH50 are associated with inflammation or infection. Reduced values may result from consumption of complement by immune complexes or a hereditary deficiency of a complement component. Patients with certain rheumatic diseases, especially with active SLE, may have a low total complement level. Because some complement components are unstable during processing, shipment, or storage, it is prudent to confirm an unexpectedly low value of CH50 by repeating the test on a new sample.

Complement total CH 50

COMPLEMENT, TOTAL CH50, TCH50, Quest test code 618