Accurate estimation of in vivo blood glucose concentration is potentially compromised by in vitro glycolysis, the temperature- and time-dependent enzymatic metabolism of glucose by blood cells after blood is removed from the body.  For more than 40 years it was recommended that in order to avoid the potential problem ...

Data collected during a multicenter phase-3 clinical trial of a novel drug treatment for hyperkalemia (raised blood potassium) has provided a serendipitous opportunity to examine the variability of plasma potassium measurement. The trial required recruitment of patients with plasma potassium in the hyperkalemic range...

A simple change in phlebotomy practice – switching from conventional to low-volume sample blood tubes – results in a 42 % reduction in patient blood loss, and consequent reduced risk of iatrogenic anemia. That is the positive headline finding of this recently published study conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in ...

Almost all (99 %) of the approximate 1 kg of calcium in the adult human body is contained in bone, but a small fraction (approximately 350 mg) circulates in blood plasma at a concentration of around 2.5 mmol/L. This circulating calcium comprises three fractions: around half (50 %) is free ionized calcium; the rest is...

As the site of production of the hormones: renin, erythropoietin and calcitriol that regulate, respectively, blood pressure, erythrocyte (red blood cell) production and absorption of dietary calcium, the kidneys have significant and disparate endocrine function. Additionally, of course, the kidneys have an excretory...

Raised plasma/serum potassium (hyperkalemia), which is widely defined as potassium >5.0-5.3 mmol/L, is a common electrolyte disturbance with many possible causes, including renal failure, acidosis, aldosterone deficiency and tissue damage. Severe hyperkalemia is a potentially life-threatening condition that demands...

The gold standard sample for blood gas analysis is arterial blood. Compared with collection of venous or capillary blood, collection of arterial blood by arterial puncture is a painful procedure that can induce feelings of anxiety. The notion that this pain and anxiety could be a source of preanalytical error in blood ...

It is widely acknowledged that the majority of errors in clinical laboratory and point-of-care testing occur during the preanalytical phase. Blood collection (phlebotomy) is an element of the preanalytical phase particularly prone to potential error, so that adherence to authoritative (evidence-based) recommendations...

Nationwide harmonization of clinical laboratory practice is a stated strategic goal of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CSMBLM). In 2013, a CSMBLM working group conducted a nationwide survey of all aspects of blood gas testing practice in Croatian hospital laboratories.  This...

It is commonplace for clinical staff tasked with blood sample collection to ask patients to make a fist before venipuncture; it reportedly helps by making veins more visible. Patients may also be asked to maintain a clenched fist during the procedure. This practice of ”fist clenching” is sanctioned in phlebotomy...