Reducing cancellation of samples due to hemolysis
with the use of a hemoglobin removal procedure
Alex Laliberty / alaliberty@bellarmine.edu
/ Faculty Advisor: Karen Golemboski
Hemolysis is one of the most significant causes of
error in the clinical laboratory. When red blood cells lyse, hemoglobin
released into the plasma interferes spectrophotometrically with the measurement
of many common analytes with overlapping absorption wavelengths. One such
analyte is conjugated, or direct, bilirubin; this analyte is frequently
measured in jaundiced neonates to evaluate the need for phototherapy. Direct
bilirubin results are falsely decreased in the presence of hemoglobin,
particularly when the concentration of bilirubin is high and test results are
most relevant to treatment. Levels of hemolysis which are commonly seen in
pediatric specimens introduce unacceptable amounts of bias to the measurement
of direct bilirubin. This necessarily leads to specimen rejection, and
recollection in turn distresses patients, parents, and providers. HemogloBind,
a product created by Biotech Support Group, utilizes a polymer with a series of
charges specific for hemoglobin to selectively bind and remove hemoglobin from
solution. With a relatively simple protocol for use, this product could readily
be implemented in the clinical laboratory to reduce sample rejection. This
study evaluated the ability of HemogloBind to eliminate spectral interference
caused by hemoglobin without itself introducing significant bias in the measurement
of direct bilirubin. While the product successfully cleared hemolysis from
clinical samples, direct bilirubin results remained altered following treatment
with HemogloBind.
