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3 authors:
Giuseppe Lippi
Mario Plebani
University of Verona
University of Padova
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Emmanuel Favaloro
Westmead Hospital
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Mario Plebani, MD 2
Abstract
Keywords
interference
coagulation testing
hemolysis
lipemia
errors
The chance that errors might jeopardize the quality of testing is inherently present
throughout the total testing process, especially in the preanalytical phase. In the
coagulation laboratory, as well as in other areas of diagnostic testing, spurious
hemolysis, icteria, and lipemia in test samples represent by far the leading diagnostic
challenges. Interference in hemostasis testing due to spurious hemolysis is attributed to
both analytical and biologic elements, namely high absorbance of cell-free hemoglobin
at wavelengths used by optical instrumentation and release of both cytoplasmatic and
plasma membrane molecules (e.g., tissue factor, proteases, phospholipids, and ADP)
that can spuriously activate blood coagulation and platelets. The interference attributable to hyperbilirubinemia is mostly due to spectral overlap, whereas that of hypertriglyceridemia mainly reects elements of light scatter and volume displacement as
well as direct interference of lipid particles with hemostasis. In practical terms, spurious
hemolysis reects a more generalized process of endothelial and blood cell damage, so
that test results on spuriously hemolyzed specimens should be systematically suppressed. The bias attributable to hyperbilirubinemia is less signicant using modern
coagulometers equipped with dedicated wavelengths (i.e., with readings at 650 nm or
above), so that test results in samples with a bilirubin concentration up to 20 mg/dL can
still be analytically reliable. The interference observed in lipemic samples is most evident
with readings using wavelengths lower than 500 nm and can hence be prevented with
readings at 650 nm or above, and/or using higher dilutions of the test sample, or can be
abated in high hypertriglyceridemic specimens (i.e., > 1,000 mg/dL) using high speed
microcentrifugation or lipid extraction with organic solvents such as uorine-chlorinated hydrocarbon, or lipid-clearing agents such as LipoClear (StatSpin Inc., Norwood, MA)
and n-hexane.
published online
December 10, 2012
DOI http://dx.doi.org/
10.1055/s-0032-1328972.
ISSN 0094-6176.
Hemolyzed specimens are the leading source of nonconformance in several areas of diagnostic testing,14,15 including
clinical chemistry,16 immunochemistry,17 complete blood
cell counting,18 arterial blood gas analysis,19 andlast but
not leastplatelet function20,21 and coagulation testing.12,22
Once the likelihood of in vivo hemolysis (i.e., hemolytic
anemia) has been ruled out, these samples pose the most
serious problem for the laboratory due to the potential for
both analytical and biologic interference. The former is
mostly attributable to the strong absorbance of cell-free
hemoglobin still present in the sample after centrifugation
at those wavelengths that are conventionally used by the
(optical) instrumentation for coagulation testing (Fig. 1).
Thus, high baseline absorbance values are detected by the
instrument, and test results will either be unreliable or not
reported. The latter interference is often overlooked but is
probably just as important because it affects both optical and
mechanical instrumentation and can be attributed to release
of both cytoplasmatic and plasma membrane molecules (e.g.,
tissue factor, proteases, phospholipids, and adenosine diphosphate [ADP], among others), which can produce spurious
activation of blood coagulation and platelets, generation of
seldom insignicantblood clots, which may further bias test
results for premature activation of blood coagulation (i.e.,
shortening of clotting times) or consumption of clotting
factors (i.e., prolongation of clotting times), and hyperactivation of platelets. Moreover, the presence of cell-free hemoglobin frequently reects problems related to the collection
of blood specimens (e.g., a cumbersome venipuncture), so
that it can be considered a reliable index of concomitant
endothelium injury with release of thromboplastin-like pro-
Bilirubin
2.2
Hemoglobin
2.0
Turbidity
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1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
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Wavelength (nm)
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Spurious Hemolysis
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2.4
Absorbance
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Hyperbilirubinemia
Serum bilirubin, the nal result of the catabolism of heme, is a
highly hydrophobic compound transported in blood linked
with albumin, with < 0.01% circulating in unbound, free
form. The main site of bilirubin metabolism is the liver, where
the molecule is dissociated from albumin and then conjugated with one or two molecules of glucuronic acid to form
bilirubin monoglucuronide and diglucuronide (i.e., conjugated or direct bilirubin). Hyperbilirubinemia is commonly
dened as the presence of excess bilirubin in the blood (i.e.,
bilirubin concentration > 1.5 mg/dL), and can be classied as
conjugated or unconjugated, according to the predominant
form.57 The interference in hemostasis testing due to the
presence of hyperbilirubinemia is mostly attributable to
spectral overlap (i.e., the compound has a high absorbance
262
Lipemia
The potential origin of nontransparent turbid milky samples (more simply turbid samples or lipemic samples) is
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Conclusions
Regardless of analytical considerations, which, although important, may not necessarily inuence clinical practice and
patient safety, the type of interference encountered with
spurious hemolysis, icterus, and lipemia is substantially
different, and thus requires distinctive approaches.
Spurious hemolysis typically reects a more generalized
process of endothelial and blood cell damage, so that any
consideration about the potential optical interference attributable to the absorbance of cell-free hemoglobin is
ancillary to the presence of a critical biologic bias caused
by release of prothrombotic and proaggregant material
from the injured cells. Test results of both routine and
specialized hemostasis testing should therefore be systematically suppressed in all samples with visible degree of
hemolysis (i.e., cell-free hemoglobin > 0.3 to 0.6 g/L). It may
also be advisable to routinely assess the hemolysis index in
these samples, clearly establish the degree of potential
interference, and decide the most suitable actions. Naturally, test results from patients with in vivo hemolysis should
instead be reported to avoid repeated collections with
similar outcome, albeit with a caveat detailing the limitation of the test result.
The bias attributable to hyperbilirubinemia is almost
exclusively analytical, due to spectral overlap. There is probably insignicant clinical bias using modern coagulometer
equipped with dedicated wavelengths (i.e., with readings at
650 nm or above) so that test results may be reliable and
hence released to requesting clinicians, particularly in samSeminars in Thrombosis & Hemostasis
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