Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes, commonly used as anticoagulant blood collection tubes in medical tests, play a significant role in liver function, kidney function, and electrolyte examinations. However, hemolysis can occasionally occur during blood collection, affecting subsequent medical tests. This article explores the primary applications of Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes, the causes of hemolysis, and preventive measures.
Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes are common tools for collecting blood samples in clinical settings. They use lithium heparin as an anticoagulant to prevent blood from clotting after collection, ensuring the integrity and validity of the sample. Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes are widely used in the following areas:
Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes are extensively used in liver function tests. They effectively maintain the stability of chemical components in the blood sample, ensuring the accuracy of key indicators such as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and bilirubin. This is crucial for assessing liver health, especially in diagnosing liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis, where Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes play a vital role.
In kidney function tests, Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes can maintain the integrity of the sample, allowing doctors to accurately detect key indicators such as creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, and thus assess kidney function. Since lithium heparin prevents blood clotting, the components in the blood remain relatively stable, helping doctors better evaluate the patient's kidney health.
Electrolyte and trace element tests are crucial for assessing fluid balance and metabolic status. Blood samples collected with Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes can effectively prevent ions from reacting with other components, ensuring the accuracy of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and other electrolyte and trace element determinations. This has important clinical reference value, especially in handling diseases involving electrolyte imbalances.
Although Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes are widely used in medical examinations, hemolysis can occur during blood sample collection. Hemolysis refers to the rupture of red blood cells outside the body, causing the release of hemoglobin and other contents into the blood, which can interfere with subsequent tests and diagnoses.
The occurrence of hemolysis may be related to several factors, mainly including mechanical damage during blood collection, quality issues with Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes, and improper storage conditions. Improper operation during blood collection, such as excessive squeezing or shaking of the sample, may cause red blood cells to rupture.
Additionally, if Green-top Lithium Heparin Tubes do not meet the standard or are expired, it may lead to unstable sample preservation and increase the risk of hemolysis. Improper storage and prolonged exposure of samples to extreme environments (such as high or low temperatures) can also exacerbate the occurrence of hemolysis.
Hemolysis significantly affects the accuracy of medical test results. The hemoglobin released after the red blood cells rupture can interfere with the measurement of various biochemical indicators, especially in tests for electrolytes and liver and kidney functions. Hemolysis also affects immunoassay results, potentially causing non-specific reactions and interfering with the accurate diagnosis of diseases. Additionally, distortion of red blood cell-related indicators can also complicate the assessment and treatment of diseases.
To avoid the impact of hemolysis on test results, medical institutions and laboratories need to enhance operational standards, ensure the quality of tubes, and maintain proper sample storage conditions. By improving operational skills and strict management, hemolysis occurrences can be effectively reduced, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of medical examinations.