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Bit of an old chestnut this one, although I cannot find any discussion on the list archive. We serve a large rural population with many outlying GP surgeries. Our transport system is not all that it could be and a 3 metre wide road in Devon could be considered a superhighway. The net result is that there can be significant delays in sample separation. Pragmatically, we suppress any Potassium results in samples over 6 hours, issuing an appropriate sample delay comment instead. Many GP's are less than happy with this, particularly in patients on ACE inhibitors where an available and accurate potassium result is desirable. I am aware of studies that relate to cellular potassium leakage in stored samples, but has anyone performed any work on van transported samples that endure bumpy roads in the sweltering heat of summer and freezing winter days? I guess the most practical approach is to put centrifuges in the most outlying surgeries, but there are health and safety issues connected with this. Or persuade the powers that be in Primary care to co-ordinate transport appropriately, although this is no easy task when dealing with 3 PCT's in our catchment area. I would be interested to know other laboratories policies / experiences on this and will compile a response to the mailing list, if labs wish to send me their protocols. Thanks John O'Connor ------ACB discussion List Information-------- This is an open discussion list for the academic and clinical community working in clinical biochemistry. Please note, archived messages are public and can be viewed via the internet. Views expressed are those of the individual and they are responsible for all message content. ACB Web Site http://www.acb.org.uk List Archives http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ACB-CLIN-CHEM-GEN.html List Instructions (How to leave etc.) http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/