Acquired sea-blue histiocytosis in beta thalassemia major.

Primary sea-blue histiocytosis is a rare syndrome. Secondary or acquired sea-blue histiocytosis occurs in a wide array of hematologic and systemic disorders, rarely these cells have been found in cases of thalassemia. A case of sea-blue histiocytosis in a patient of thalassemia is being reported for its rarity.

Artifactual shortening of prothrombin time in a semi-automated coagulometer because of lipaemic plasma.

Widespread use of coagulometers over the past few decades has improved the accuracy and precision of coagulation tests. However, test results even from sophisticated coagulometers are prone to errors due to both analytical and pre-analytical factors. Coagulometers utilizing absorbance variation for end point detection can generate erroneous results due to turbidity in the test plasma.

Inappropriate platelet transfusion in a patient with ethylenediamine tetra- acetic acid (EDTA)--induced pseudothrombocytopenia.

Automated platelet counts in the laboratory may be fictitiously low at times and require manual confirmation. Ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA) in few patients and healthy individuals can induce platelet aggregation, giving rise to a spuriously low automated platelet count. This phenomenon which occurs due to the presence of IgG antibodies, if unrecognized, can result in incorrect diagnosis and consequent inappropriate treatment.

Spuriously elevated automated platelet count in severe burns--a report of two cases.

Increasing use of automated analyzers in the hematology laboratory has resulted in enhanced accuracy of results. However, operators of automated analyzers and the end users utilizing the automated data need to be aware of factitious results which might be reported at times by these instruments. Case summaries of two patients with severe burns showing spuriously elevated automated platelet count are presented here.