Re: Hemolyzed blood sample?

[Guest guest]

I had hemolyzed blood once at Stanford. They send the blood

tube in a pneumatic tube and mine got " all shook up " .

Others may have more info, but my understanding is that

hemolyzed blood results from a problem with either the way

the blood was drawn or how it was subsequently handled.

Wonder if you should get a " refund " as it appears someone

made a mistake along the way. If it were me, I'd ask for

another draw and have the tests repeated. My understanding

is that once the blood has hemolyzed (ruptured) the counts

may not be correct.

All the best,

Lynn

[Guest guest]

The wisest thing is to disregard the entire set of results

as it's never possible to really know the extent of

hemolysis. I would suggest that the entire set of labs be

repeated.

[Guest guest]

One of the causes of hemolyzed blood sample is inserting the

needle before the alcohol used to wipe the venipuncture site

has dried. If you feel a burning sensation when the needle

goes in, it's a sign the alcohol hasn't dried and will

contaminate the sample, and they should start over and take

a new sample. Other causes have to do with needle size,

too rapid withdrawal, and other factors the patient can't

discern. But we can tell if there is unusual burning, tell

the phlebotomist, and have a new sample taken.

Shelia