Despite calling it “laboratory error”, a lot of the problem happens long before the sample gets to the lab. #NKFClinicals
75% of errors happen before sample gets to the lab! #NKFClinicals
It is almost never an analytical issue. Because these guys are careful.
Case 1/6 K was 6 and normal in ER, this happens every January. The outpatient winter K is too high. He was symptomatic. Also occurs with sister.
Familial Pseudohyperkalemia, they have fast leak in response to cooling and time.
If you spin the sample first to separate the cells from the plasma.
Case 2/6
Unexplained low CO2 in an infant
History of diarrhea
First sample 11 2 hours later it was 18.
The small ample in a big tube allows CO2 to escape resulting in artifact.
Case 3
Elevations in lactate of 10 after surgery
On antibiotics.
Not concordat with clinical picture
Routine labs and ABG
3 days and 8 doctors to figure out they were drawing the labs downstream from an LR infusion 🤦🏼♂️ #NKFClinicals
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When we published our study <> of ODS and hyponatremia we were pummeled for including people at low risk of ODS because we included Na levels between 120 and 130. They said it is well known "that ODS is incredibly rare/non-existent at those levels." 1/4evidence.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/EV…
Of course one of the reasons it was thought to be incredibly rare was that no one looked for CPM in patients with Na from 120-130. We found a fair number (≤5 of 12). 2/4
Our findings are replicated in a study from Australia. The authors took a different approach to investigating ODS. Instead of starting w/ hyponatremia and working forward to ODS, they started with a dx of ODS and worked backwards
3/4ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35717664
Gadolinium in dialysis patients.
What's up with that?
#Tweetorial
1/11
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is an iatrogenic disease that presents with hardening of the skin and other organs. It is often lethal. I treated 5 people with this condition (including one with AKI). Terrible.
2/11
The etiology of NSF was unknown and there were many theories. In 2006, Thomas Grobner published a small case series showing 5 patients developing NSF within weeks of receiving gadolinium contrast for MRI.
3/11pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16431890/
I just recently recommended the Renal Physiology book by Bruce Koeppen and Bruce Stanton. I thought it was a good medical student level text book: pbfluids.com/2023/08/ouwb-s…
But I came across this question in Chapter 8 Regulation of Acid Base. It is a straight forward question asking the learner to interpret simple acid-base cases.
But the question falls apart when you look at the answer...
Michael Emmett on electrolyte artifacts
Pre-analytical and analytical #NKFClinicals
Starting with pseudohyponatremia
These are real cases
The osmolality was 294, so there is a huge gap. 44ish
Implies Artifactual decrease in sodium
Her triglycerides were >6000 #NKFClinicals
Note the different between HCO3 and tCO2 should be closer than 19 and 9. #NKFClinicals