ABSTRACT
Automated platelet counts in the laboratory may be fictitiously low at times and require manual confirmation. Ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA) in few patients and healthy individuals can induce platelet aggregation, giving rise to a spuriously low automated platelet count. This phenomenon which occurs due to the presence of IgG antibodies, if unrecognized, can result in incorrect diagnosis and consequent inappropriate treatment. We present a patient who received inappropriate platelet transfusion as a result of EDTA induced spurious thrombocytopenia.
Subject(s)
Adult , Anticoagulants/pharmacology , Blood Specimen Collection , Edetic Acid/pharmacology , Female , Humans , Medical Errors , Platelet Aggregation , Platelet Count , Platelet Transfusion , Thrombocytopenia/therapyABSTRACT
Primary sea-blue histiocytosis is a rare syndrome. Secondary or acquired sea-blue histiocytosis occurs in a wide array of hematologic and systemic disorders, rarely these cells have been found in cases of thalassemia. A case of sea-blue histiocytosis in a patient of thalassemia is being reported for its rarity.
Subject(s)
Biopsy, Needle , Bone Marrow/pathology , Child , Female , Humans , Sea-Blue Histiocyte Syndrome/diagnosis , beta-Thalassemia/complicationsABSTRACT
Widespread use of coagulometers over the past few decades has improved the accuracy and precision of coagulation tests. However, test results even from sophisticated coagulometers are prone to errors due to both analytical and pre-analytical factors. Coagulometers utilizing absorbance variation for end point detection can generate erroneous results due to turbidity in the test plasma. We present a case with artifactual shortening of prothrombin time because of lipaemic plasma.
Subject(s)
Artifacts , Blood Coagulation Tests/instrumentation , Blood Specimen Collection/methods , Diagnostic Errors , Humans , Lipids/analysis , Male , Middle Aged , Plasma/chemistry , Prothrombin TimeABSTRACT
Increasing use of automated analyzers in the hematology laboratory has resulted in enhanced accuracy of results. However, operators of automated analyzers and the end users utilizing the automated data need to be aware of factitious results which might be reported at times by these instruments. Case summaries of two patients with severe burns showing spuriously elevated automated platelet count are presented here.