Relationship between free hemoglobin (hemolysis), potassium and ionized calcium in lithium heparin blood gas samples collected intraoperatively.

Objective: Develop sample acceptability rules by determining the relationship between free hemoglobin level (hemolysis) and potassium or ionized calcium in blood gas samples collected intraoperatively.

Design And Methods: Hemolysis was assessed visually or by H index for lithium heparin blood gas samples collected intraoperatively. During periods one and three this was done using two different rules for visual assessment of centrifuged lithium heparin plasma.

Comparing analytical outliers and the percent of emergency department patients with results above the 99th percentile upper reference limit for 2 conventional and one high sensitivity troponin assay.

Objectives: We compared rates of analytical outliers, and percent of emergency department (ED) patients with cardiac troponin (cTn) values above the 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL), for two conventional and one high sensitivity cTn assay.

Methods: We measured 3008 samples from 1931 ED patients by Roche e411 4th generation Troponin T (cTnT); and Abbott STAT Troponin I (cTnI) and high sensitivity troponin I (hscTnI) on an Architect i2000. Within 24h of initial measurement, samples were aliquoted, re-centrifuged, and repeated in duplicate by all methods.