Hemolysis in a chemistry sample is identified by which observation, and why is it problematic?

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Multiple Choice

Hemolysis in a chemistry sample is identified by which observation, and why is it problematic?

When red blood cells break open in a chemistry sample, free hemoglobin is released into the plasma, coloring it pink to red. This visible hemolysis signals that the sample has undergone cell rupture during collection or handling. Hemolysis is problematic because it dumps intracellular components into the fluid, skewing results. Potassium is mostly inside cells, so red-cell rupture makes potassium appear higher than it truly is. LDH is also abundant in red cells, so its measurement rises with hemolysis. Additionally, free hemoglobin and the turbidity from lysed cells can interfere with many colorimetric assays, leading to inaccurate results for other analytes. That combination—color change plus enzyme and electrolyte alterations—makes hemolyzed samples unreliable and often necessitates repeating the test with a non-hemolyzed specimen. (Observation like clear plasma suggests lipemia isn’t the issue; yellow plasma points to bilirubin, and cloudy plasma suggests lipid interference.)

When red blood cells break open in a chemistry sample, free hemoglobin is released into the plasma, coloring it pink to red. This visible hemolysis signals that the sample has undergone cell rupture during collection or handling. Hemolysis is problematic because it dumps intracellular components into the fluid, skewing results. Potassium is mostly inside cells, so red-cell rupture makes potassium appear higher than it truly is. LDH is also abundant in red cells, so its measurement rises with hemolysis. Additionally, free hemoglobin and the turbidity from lysed cells can interfere with many colorimetric assays, leading to inaccurate results for other analytes. That combination—color change plus enzyme and electrolyte alterations—makes hemolyzed samples unreliable and often necessitates repeating the test with a non-hemolyzed specimen. (Observation like clear plasma suggests lipemia isn’t the issue; yellow plasma points to bilirubin, and cloudy plasma suggests lipid interference.)

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