At a glance
| Analyte | Total bilirubin |
|---|---|
| Also called | BIL-T, TB, B1 and B2 combined |
| Method | Diazo colorimetric |
| Sample type | Serum, Plasma |
| Panel | Hepatic |
| Discipline | Clinical chemistry |
| Brand | Mindray |
What Total Bilirubin measures
Bilirubin is what remains after haemoglobin is broken down, and the liver’s job is to conjugate it so it can be excreted in bile. Total bilirubin counts both the conjugated fraction and the unconjugated fraction that has not yet been processed, so on its own it says only that the pigment is accumulating somewhere in that chain. Paired with a direct measurement it becomes far more useful, because the split between the two fractions separates a problem before the liver, such as excessive red cell breakdown, from a problem within it or beyond it in the biliary tree. Bilirubin is also light-sensitive, which is one of the few pre-analytical requirements in routine chemistry that affects the specimen rather than the patient.
How Philippine laboratories run it
Total and direct bilirubin are ordered as a pair in the Philippine liver panel and reported alongside the transaminases and ALP, so the two reagents are planned together. Neonatal jaundice adds a second and quite different demand pattern for laboratories attached to a hospital with a nursery: those requests arrive urgently, in small volumes, at unpredictable hours, and they cannot wait for the next routine run. A laboratory with that workload needs cover for stat testing rather than simply enough reagent for its monthly total, which is a distinction the supply schedule should reflect.
Analyzers it runs on
Calibrator, controls and companion tests
Delivered with its calibrator, both control levels and the rest of the hepatic panel, on the same schedule as Total Bilirubin.
Storage and handling
Refrigerated, and protected from light both in storage and in the specimen, since bilirubin degrades on exposure.
Buying Total Bilirubin in the Philippines
Total Bilirubin is supplied for the BS-600M, BS-430, BS-360E, BS-240Pro, BS-230 and BA-88A. We deliver it with Multi-Sera Calibrator and Chemistry Control Level 1, because a run held up waiting on a separate order costs the same shift a stock-out does. Delivery is scheduled against your monthly Total Bilirubin count, so the bench is not rationing tests in the last week of the month. How we plan clinical chemistry supply.
Questions about Total Bilirubin
Does a bilirubin specimen really need protecting from light?
Yes. Bilirubin breaks down on exposure to light, so a sample left sitting under bright lighting or in sunlight will read progressively lower than the patient’s true value. Keep specimens covered and run them promptly. This is the same chemistry that makes phototherapy work in neonatal jaundice, which is a useful way to remember that the effect is real rather than theoretical.
Order Total Bilirubin
Tell us your monthly Total Bilirubin volume and we will quote a supply schedule for BS-600M. We reply within one business day.
Request a quotation