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Spurious elevation of serum potassium concentration measured in samples with thrombocytosis

  • Vincenzo Roccaforte , Massimo Daves EMAIL logo , Adawiya Alfreijat , Monica Riva , Maria Leitner , Stefania Filippi , Giulio Angaroni , Franco Montani , Stefan Platzgummer und Giuseppe Lippi ORCID logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 6. April 2016
Diagnosis
Aus der Zeitschrift Diagnosis Band 3 Heft 2

Abstract

Background: Several factors that can lead to falsely elevated values of serum. Thrombocytosis is one of these factors, since breakage or activation of platelets during blood coagulation in vitro may lead to spurious release of potassium. The purpose of the study was to evaluate to which extent the platelet count may impact on potassium in both serum and plasma.

Methods: The study population consisted of 42 subjects with platelets values comprised between 20 and 750×109/L. In each sample potassium was measured in both serum and plasma using potentiometric indirect method on the analyzer Modular P800 (Roche, Milan, Italy). Platelet count was performed with the hematological analyzer Advia 120 (Siemens, Milano, Italy).

Results: Significant differences were found between potassium values in serum and in plasma. A significant correlation was also observed between serum potassium values and the platelet count in whole blood, but not with the age, sex, erythrocyte and leukocyte counts in whole blood. No similar correlation was noticed between plasma potassium and platelet count in whole blood. The frequency of hyperkalemia was also found to be higher in serum (20%) than in plasma (7%) in samples with a platelet count in whole blood >450×109/L.

Conclusions: The results of this study show that platelets in the biological samples may impact on potassium measurement when exceeding 450×109/L. We henceforth suggest that potassium measurement in plasma may be more accurate than in serum, especially in subjects with thrombocytosis.

Keywords: plasma potassium; pseudohyperkalemia; serum potassium; trombocytosis
Corresponding author: Massimo Daves, Clinical Pathology Laboratory, Hospital of Merano, Via Rossini 5, 39012 Merano, Italy, Phone: +39 0473 267975, Fax: +39 0471 908907

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Employment or leadership: None declared.

  4. Honorarium: None declared.

  5. Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2016-3-1
Accepted: 2016-3-7
Published Online: 2016-4-6
Published in Print: 2016-6-1

©2016 by De Gruyter

Artikel in diesem Heft

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  2. Opinion Paper
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  4. Original Articles
  5. Diagnosis is a team sport – partnering with allied health professionals to reduce diagnostic errors
  6. An investigation into method of diagnosis in clinicopathologic conferences (CPCs)
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https://doi.org/10.1515/dx-2016-0008
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
plasma potassium; pseudohyperkalemia; serum potassium; trombocytosis

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Opinion Paper
  3. Healthcare is a giant with feet of clay
  4. Original Articles
  5. Diagnosis is a team sport – partnering with allied health professionals to reduce diagnostic errors
  6. An investigation into method of diagnosis in clinicopathologic conferences (CPCs)
  7. Primary care pediatricians’ interest in diagnostic error reduction
  8. Spurious elevation of serum potassium concentration measured in samples with thrombocytosis
  9. Mobile phone exposure influences some erythrocytes parameters in vitro. A novel source of preanalytical variability?
  10. Case Reports
  11. Those eyes don’t lie: a case of osmotic demyelination syndrome in a patient with hepatic encephalopathy
  12. CA-125: What does that lab really mean?
  13. Letter to the Editor
  14. Assessment of reticulated platelets with automated hemocytometers: are we measuring the same thing?
  15. Congress Abstracts
  16. Diagnostic Error in Medicine 1st European Conference June 30–July 1, 2016
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