title: Combined false hyperkalemia and hypocalcemia due to specimen contamination during routine phlebotomy.
abstract: Combined pseudohyperkalemia and pseudohypocalcemia have not been previously reported in the clinical setting. We report 2 cases in which specimen contamination during routine phlebotomy with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) caused alteration in serum levels of potassium and calcium. This alteration could be misleading when making clinical decisions and could produce adverse patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, St Mary's Regional Medical Center, Enid, Okla 73702, USA.
authors.forename: M Tarek
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Naguib
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D004492:Edetic Acid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018962:Phlebotomy; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood*; D013048:Specimen Handling
chemical_list: D004492:Edetic Acid; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium