Central Laboratory Analyses of Intact PTH Using Intraoperative Samples

During parathyroidectomy, chemiluminescent assays of intact parathyroid hormone levels in plasma are done by point-of-care methods. A rapid central-laboratory method has been developed that might be a more convenient and less expensive alternative. The new procedure was evaluated by assaying plasma from venous blood collected in EDTA tubes and comparing the results with those obtained by an accepted method. Samples were collected during surgery, transported to the central laboratory by pneumatic tube or courier, and analyzed immediately. Results were telephoned to the operating room. Turnaround time was equivalent to that of point-of-care methods. Results were diagnostically valuable and were provided at a fraction of the cost of bedside procedures.