• Hasan Kara, Aysegul Bayir, Ahmet Ak, Selim Degirmenci, Murat Akinci, Ahmet Agacayak, Emine Marcil, and Melih Azap.
• Hasan Kara, Selcuk University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Konya, Turkey.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2014 Jan 1; 30 (1): 50-8.

ObjectiveThe frequency of hemolysis of blood samples may be increased by transport in a pneumatic tube system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pneumatic tube system transport on hemolysis of blood samples.MethodsBlood samples were transported from the emergency department to the hospital laboratory manually by hospital staff (49 patients) or with a pneumatic tube system (53 patients). The hemolysis index and serum chemistry studies were performed on the blood samples and compared between the different methods of transport.ResultsThe blood samples that were transported by the pneumatic tube system had a greater frequency of hemolysis and greater mean serum potassium and median creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels than samples transported manually.ConclusionBlood samples transported from the emergency department to the hospital laboratory by a pneumatic tube system may have a greater frequency of hemolysis than samples transported manually. This may necessitate repeat phlebotomy and cause a delay in completing the laboratory analysis.

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