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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffYour doctor may do a prothrombin time test to:
- Assess your blood's ability to clot
- Monitor the effectiveness of blood-thinning medications
- Detect liver problems
- Detect bleeding problems before surgery
If your doctor suspects you may have liver problems, you'll likely undergo additional tests to assess the health of your liver, such as liver enzyme tests. If your doctor suspects you may have a bleeding disorder, you may undergo a partial thromboplastin time (PTT) test. This test assesses the level of other clotting proteins in your blood.
- Prothrombin time (PT). In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..C2009-0-38600-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&uniq=210978719. Accessed July 22, 2010.
- Pratt DS. Liver chemistry and function tests. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisinger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&uniq=200844987-3. Accessed July 22, 2010.
- PT and INR. Lab Tests Online. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/pt/glance.html#. Accessed July 22, 2010.
- Laboratory reference values. Prothrombin time. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2010.
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