English 
Italian DOCUMENTI SIBIOC - SIBioC Documents
Volume:
Biochimica Clinica 2011; 35(6) 481-490
Pubblicato on-line:
DOI:
Raccomandazioni di consenso SIBioC-SIMeL per la rilevazione e gestione dei campioni emolisati e utilizzo dell’indice di emolisi
AUTORI
1U.O. Diagnostica Ematochimica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma
2Laboratorio di Patologia Clinica, Azienda Ospedaliera, Bussolengo (VR)
3Istituto Galeazzi, Università di Milano,
4Laboratorio di Biochimica Clinica, Azienda Sanitaria di Bolzano
5Laboratorio Analisi Chimico-Cliniche, Azienda Ospedaliera Luigi Sacco, Milano
6Sezione di Chimica Clinica, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e della Riproduzione, Università degli Studi di Verona
7Laboratorio di Patologia Clinica, Ospedale di Arzignano (VI)
8Dipartimento di Medicina di Laboratorio, Azienda Ospedaliera, Desenzano del Garda (BS)
9Laboratorio di Patologia Clinica, Dipartimento di Medicina di Laboratorio, Azienda Ospedaliera Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone
10Servizio di Medicina di Laboratorio, Azienda Ospedaliera-Università di Padova
11U.O. Patologia Clinica 1, Policlinico di Bari
12Laboratorio di Chimica Clinica ed Ematologia, Ospedale S. Bortolo, Vicenza
ABSTRACT
SIBioC-SIMeL consensus recommendations for the identification and management of hemolysed specimens and the implementation of hemolysis index
SIBioC-SIMeL consensus recommendations for the identification and management of hemolysed specimens
and the implementation of hemolysis index. The presence of hemolysis in a biological blood sample is mainly
caused by hemolytic anemia or hemolysis in vitro. The latter is caused by inappropriate collection and processing of biological samples, which may affect the reliability of test results. Hemolysis is assessed by free hemoglobin quantification, whose limit is 0.02 g/L in plasma and 0.05 g/L in serum, and visually observed when the concentration of free hemoglobin exceeds 0.30 g/L. Since hemolysis is the most frequent cause of unsuitable biological samples in clinical laboratories, with a prevalence approaching 3% of all received samples, these recommendations have been drafted specifically to assist laboratory professionals in detection and management of hemolysed specimens. In summary, the recommended approach is based on: (i) systematic detection and quantification of hemolysis, by visual inspection and subsequent quantification of the hemolysis index on all samples with visually detectable hemolysis; (ii) immediate notification to the referring department of the presence of hemolysis in the sample, as locally determined; (iii) suppression of all results affected by the presence and/or degree of hemolysis; and (iv) timely request of a second sample, on which the previously deleted tests can be performed.