Clinical biochemistry
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Clinical biochemistry · Feb 2014
Low volume tubes are not effective to reduce the rate of hemolyzed specimens from the emergency department.
Spurious hemolysis is the leading source of nonconformities that can be recorded in diagnostic samples, especially those collected in the emergency department (ED). The aim of this study was to assess whether the shift from regular to low volume blood collection tubes may reduce the rate of hemolysis in a large urban ED, where approximately 80% of blood collections are performed through catheters. ⋯ The use of low volume tubes was not effective to decrease the hemolysis rate in a large urban ED.