title: Influence of hemolysis on routine laboratory cardiac marker testing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reliable information on the potential bias arising from processing in vitro hemolysis specimens referred for conventional cardiac biomarker testing is scarce and controversial as yet. The present investigation was designed to assess the influence of low levels of in vitro hemolysis on cardiac biomarker testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three aliquots, prepared by serial dilutions of homologous hemolysed samples collected from 14 different subjects and containing final concentrations of plasma hemoglobin of 0, 0.3, and 0.6 g/L were tested for the following parameters: cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and T (cTnT), myoglobin (Myo), creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and NT-prohormone-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant differences were observed in any of the parameters tested nor did the bias achieve clinical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study show that moderate hemolysis, as low as 0.6 g/L, has no influence on the reliability of cardiac biomarker testing.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Biochimica Clinica, Ospedale Regionale di Bolzano, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daves
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Salvagno
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cemin
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gelati
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cervellin
authors.forename: Gian Cesare
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Guidi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form / Q000097:blood*; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood*; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000097:blood*; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D009211:Myoglobin; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D019210:Troponin I; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form