Creatinine - serum

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Creatinine tests

Overview

Risks

Results

Creatinine - serum

Alternative Names:

Serum creatinine
What the risks are:

Excessive bleeding
Fainting or feeling light-headed
Hematoma (blood accumulating under the skin)
Infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)
Multiple punctures to locate veins

Why is the test performed:

A measurement of the serum creatinine level is used to evaluate kidney function.

text continues below

Creatinine is a breakdown product of creatine, which is an important component of muscle. Creatinine can be converted to the ATP molecule, which is a high-energy source. The daily production of creatine and subsequently creatinine, depends on muscle mass, which fluctuates very little.

Creatinine is excreted from the body entirely by the kidneys. With normal renal excretory function, the serum creatinine level should remain constant and normal.

Special considerations:

Drugs that can increase creatinine measurements include aminoglycosides (for example, gentamicin), Bactrim, cimetidine, heavy metal chemotherapeutic agents (for example, Cisplatin), and nephrotoxic drugs -- such as cephalosporins (for example, cefoxitin).