Which analyte is affected by hemolysis?

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Multiple Choice

Which analyte is affected by hemolysis?

Hemolysis releases red blood cell contents into the sample, and red cells keep metabolizing glucose after collection. Because glycolysis continues in the sample, glucose levels fall, giving a falsely low reading if the sample isn’t processed quickly or stabilized with glycolysis inhibitors. That makes glucose the analyte most clearly affected by hemolysis. Sodium and calcium are extracellular ions and stay relatively stable in this situation, and the liver enzyme ALT isn’t abundant in red cells, so it isn’t reliably altered by hemolysis.

Hemolysis releases red blood cell contents into the sample, and red cells keep metabolizing glucose after collection. Because glycolysis continues in the sample, glucose levels fall, giving a falsely low reading if the sample isn’t processed quickly or stabilized with glycolysis inhibitors. That makes glucose the analyte most clearly affected by hemolysis. Sodium and calcium are extracellular ions and stay relatively stable in this situation, and the liver enzyme ALT isn’t abundant in red cells, so it isn’t reliably altered by hemolysis.

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