We never report potassium on haemolysed samples.
How does your paediatrician know that the "correct" result on the haemolysed sample is not low and falsely elevated to normality?
There was a court case in England a few years ago in which a comment on a haemolysed sample was used by lawyers to cast doubt on all the results on that sample, even those not affected by haemolysis.
Mike Collins
BMS3
Biochemistry Automation
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital
England
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http://www.nnuh.nhs.uk/
-----Original Message-----
From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Isla Wootton
Sent: 03 February 2012 14:59
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Haemolysis
Dear All,
I would be grateful for your thoughts regarding the following. We routinely block the reporting of results for certain assays on hemolysed samples. We recently received a complaint from a Paediatrician stating that they routinely check bloods to exclude an elevated potassium or elevated liver enzymes and therefore would still value a result even though a sample was hemolysed. His argument was that a normal potassium and / or normal liver enzymes on a hemolysed sample are still a useful negative result and would save considerable time and effort.
I would be interested to know how other laboratories approach the reporting/blocking of results on hemolysed paediatric samples, or whether they have received similar complaints and how they have responded.
Thank you for your help
Regards
Isla Wootton
Senior Clinical Biochemist
Northampton General Hospital
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