Scandinavian researchers set out to examine the impact of hemolysis on 25 commonly performed chemistry tests. Samples from 17 patients were purposefully hemolyzed by freezing and thawing so that four levels of hemolysis were obtained on each sample. All samples were tested on the Beckman Coulter AU480 analyzer.

Analytes that were not affected at even the highest level of hemolysis include calcium, chloride, creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose and sodium.

Clinically significant interference was found for LD at 1+ hemolysis, CK-MB at 2+, AST and potassium at 3+ and total bilirubin at 4+.

The following analytes were affected by hemolysis, but not to a clinically significant degree: alpha-amylase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total and conjugated bilirubin, creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, ɣ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), iron, lactate dehydrogenase (LD), magnesium, potassium, total protein and uric acid at HI=(1+); alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and phosphate at HI=(2+); urea at HI=(3+); albumin and cholinesterase at HI=(4+).

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