Gentle blood aspiration and tube cushioning reduce pneumatic tube system interference in lactate dehydrogenase assays.
BACKGROUND
Use of a hospital pneumatic tube system may be associated with measurement errors.


METHODS
A venous blood sample was collected from 79 patients into a pair of lithium heparin tubes; one tube was sent to the laboratory by porter and the other was sent via the pneumatic tube system. Plasma lactate dehydrogenase concentrations were then assayed.


RESULTS
Lactate dehydrogenase concentrations were overestimated (median bias: 18.8%) when evacuated vacuum lithium heparin tubes were sent by pneumatic tube system. This bias was reduced by bubble-wrapping the standard lithium heparin tube or using Monovette lithium heparin tubes in aspiration mode (median bias: +8.7% and -0.3%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Cushioning and aspiration-mode sampling may limit pneumatic tube system-associated overestimation of lactate dehydrogenase concentrations.
UF 8832 - Biochimie Automatisée, Pôle de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France isabelle.vuillaume@chru-lille.fr.
Isabelle
I
Strubi-Vuillaume
UF 8832 - Biochimie Automatisée, Pôle de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Valentine
V
Carlier
UF 8832 - Biochimie Automatisée, Pôle de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Catherine
C
Obeuf
EA 2694, Unité de Biostatistique, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France.
Francis
F
Vasseur
UF 8832 - Biochimie Automatisée, Pôle de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
J-Claude
JC
Maury
UF 8832 - Biochimie Automatisée, Pôle de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Patrice
P
Maboudou
Service de Réanimation, Hôpital Roger Salengro, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Jacques
J
Mangalaboyi
Service de Réanimation, Hôpital Calmette, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Alain
A
Durocher
Service de Médecine Interne, Hôpital Huriez, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
David
D
Launay
Service de Néphrologie, Hôpital Huriez, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Christian
C
Noel
UF 8832 - Biochimie Automatisée, Pôle de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Thierry
T
Brousseau
D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood*; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D013048:Specimen Handling
D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase
Enzymes; analytes; interference; lactate dehydrogenase; pneumatic tube system