title: A simple, fast correction method of triglyceride interference in blood hemoglobin automated measurement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To establish a reliable correction method for automated hemoglobin (HGB) measurement by minimizing the interference from blood high triglyceride (TG).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty whole blood samples and 50 plasma samples containing variable TG concentrations were used to determine the centrifugation speed and time. Complete blood cell counts (CBCs) were performed by an automated hematology analyzer for 102 blood samples, in which high-level TG were artificially added. The same blood samples were centrifuged at low -speed to separate the plasma from blood cells. Then the plasma was analyzed by the same analyzer. By using the two CBC results, a correction formula was established to calculate the corrected HGB, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) values. Comparisons were also made of HGB, MCH, and MCHC values before and after correction of in-patient individuals who received intralipid and developed lipemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage differences between the corrected and true values of HGB, MCH and MCHC were -0.28%, 0.06%, and -0.31%, respectively. The correlation coefficients of corrected values versus true values of HGB, MCH, and MCHC were 0.989, 0.935, and 0.717, respectively. This correction method was also effective for native lipemic samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High blood TG level can cause blood turbidity and erroneously high HGB results by hematology analyzers commonly used in clinical laboratories. Adding a simple step of low-speed centrifugation and measurement of HGB in the plasma fraction allows a quick correction of HGB measurement in lipemic blood samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Su-Gen
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Ting-Ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Lan-Lan
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shu-Qiang
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Yu-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Bin-Wu
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: Yong-Qian
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D057205:Automation, Laboratory; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002498:Centrifugation; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000097:blood*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D014280:Triglycerides
keywords: correction method; hemoglobin concentration; high triglyceride
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