Prothrombin Time

Pro Time, PT (Prothrombin Time)

What To Think About

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a home test for prothrombin time (PT). Discuss the use of a home test with your health professional.
• A PT is done at the same time of day each time so test results can check whether the right dose of medicine is being used to prevent blood clots.
• Another blood clotting test, called partial thromboplastin time (PTT), measures other clotting factors. Partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time are often done at the same time to check for bleeding problems. For more information, see the medical test Partial Thromboplastin Time.
• Prothrombin levels are checked along with other liver tests, such as aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase to check how the liver is working. For more information, see the medical tests Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT).

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Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: September 25, 2006
Medical Review:	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine Joseph O'Donnell, MD - Hematology/Oncology
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