> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wilmot, Rachel
> Could it be the Li Hep samples from A/E travelled to the lab
> via a tube
> transport system??
ED physicians in a facility to which our lab is connected via tube transport
system have frequently suggested the tube as a likely reason for the high
number of their specimens we reject due to hemolysis. We consistently reject
between 1 and 2% of specimens from this location due to hemolysis, while the
rejection rate for the ED located within our building is usually around 1%
(specimens are not tube-transported). We compared specimen rejection data
for several non-ED units, including an intensive care unit also connected
via tube, and found that the rejection rate for hemolysis was consistently
around 0.2%. So I have not been convinced that tube transport, at least in
our facility, increases hemolysis (or, as a consequence, potassium).
Roger
Roger L. Bertholf, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology
Director of Clinical Chemistry & Toxicology
University of Florida Health Science Center/Jacksonville
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