Pathology laboratories play a critical role in healthcare, providing accurate and timely diagnoses that are essential for patient care. To ensure the accuracy of their results, laboratories rely on quality control materials that simulate patient samples to verify the performance of their analytical methods. One important aspect of quality control in pathology laboratories is the management of serum indices, including haemolysis, icterus, and lipaemia.
Serum indices are parameters that reflect the presence of certain substances in serum that can affect the accuracy of laboratory test results. Haemolysis is the breakdown of red blood cells, icterus is the yellowing of serum due to the accumulation of bilirubin, and lipaemia is the presence of lipids or fats in the serum. These indices can interfere with the measurement of analytes, leading to erroneous test results.
Haemolysis, for example, can release intracellular contents into the serum, leading to false elevations in several analytes, including potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase. Haemolysis can also affect the accuracy of tests that rely on spectrophotometry, such as creatinine, uric acid, and glucose measurements. Icterus, on the other hand, can interfere with the measurement of several analytes, including total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase. Lipaemia can affect the measurement of several analytes, including triglycerides, cholesterol, and glucose.
To ensure the accuracy of laboratory test results, it is important to manage serum indices effectively. Laboratories can do this by implementing quality control materials that simulate haemolysis, icterus, and lipaemia. These quality control materials provide laboratories with a known concentration of serum indices, allowing them to verify the accuracy of their analytical methods and identify any interferences caused by serum indices.
Australian Scientific Enterprise Pty Ltd (ASE) is a leading provider of quality control materials for pathology laboratories. ASE offers a range of quality control materials that simulate serum indices, including haemolysis, icterus, and lipaemia. These quality control materials are designed to help laboratories verify the performance of their analytical methods and ensure the accuracy of their test results.
ASE’s Serum Indices quality control materials simulate varying degrees of haemolysis, allowing laboratories to test their methods over a range of haemolysis levels. This can help laboratories identify the cause of haemolysis and correct any issues with sample handling or processing. ASE’s Serum Indices quality control materials also simulate varying degrees of bilirubin concentration, allowing laboratories to verify that their methods are not affected by bilirubin levels in patient samples. ASE’s Serum Indices quality control materials also include varying degrees of lipid concentration, allowing laboratories to identify and correct the cause of lipaemia and ensure accurate test results.
In addition to providing quality control materials, ASE also offers technical support to help laboratories optimize their analytical methods and troubleshoot any issues. ASE’s technical support team includes experienced laboratory professionals who can provide guidance on method development, sample handling, and quality control best practices.
The importance of quality control in pathology laboratories cannot be overstated. Accuracy and reliability are critical in providing timely and effective patient care. Serum indices, such as haemolysis, icterus, and lipaemia, can significantly affect the accuracy of laboratory test results if not appropriately managed. Quality control materials that simulate these serum indices are essential to help laboratories ensure the accuracy of their test results. ASE’s range of quality control materials and technical support can help laboratories manage serum indices effectively and ensure the accuracy of their test results.
