CK Total and CK Isoenzymes

4451

CK-BB, CK-MB, CK-MM and Creatine Kinase (CK), Total

2 mL serum collected in a serum separator tube (red-top)

1 mL

If CK and CK Isoenzymes are ordered together, specimen must be submitted frozen.

Frozen

Room temperature: Unacceptable
Refrigerated: 48 hours
Frozen: 14 days

Hemolysis • Received thawed

Set up: Mon-Sat; Report available: 2-3 days

Evaluation of myocardial infarction and/or skeletal muscle damage. The creatine kinase isoenzyme test separates the major isoenzymes of creatine kinase (CK-MM (muscle), CK-MB (specific for cardiac muscle), and CK-BB (found in brain, prostate, gut, lung, bladder, uterus, placenta, and thyroid) by electrophoresis. The test provides the percentages of each in relationship to total creatine kinase. The test provides information on recent muscle damage (CK-MM and CK-MB), providing specific information about possible cardiac muscle damage (CK-MB) due to myocardial infarction. In all types of muscular dystrophy, and especially in the Duchenne type, serum CK activity is greatly elevated. CK-MB can arise from tissues other than the myocardium. These include inflammatory and degenerative muscle diseases, traumatic lesions including shock, intoxication, hypothyroidism, and in women immediately after obstetric delivery. Myocardial damage is usually excluded if CK-MB activity is <5 or 6% of the total CK activity. CK-BB can be elevated up to 6-fold in maternal serum with up to 10% from the uterus and and placenta. CK-BB can also be elevated in neonates, hypothermia, gastrointestinal infarction, adenocarcinoma, and lung tumors. Prostate tumors and tumors of the bladder, testes, breast, kidney, and ovary have also been associated to varying degrees with increases in CK-1. Use of a more cardiac-specific Troponin I assay test code #3393, is also recommended to evaluate patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction.