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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Sorry to post here - re bloods - unreadable

26 replies

Irulez · 20/05/2019 14:58

I tried to find the Post on here drop down list, but it keeps vanishing.

Anyway, meant to post on General Health, but can't, so I've clicked onto a thread in AIBU and can post on AIBU that way.

Question: I had bloods done in hospital and they came to me within 10 minutes saying we've the 'quick' results back and all is ok, but we're waiting on the laboratory results.

Quick results were fine, so I went home. Now I've been called from a department within the hospital saying that the laboratory results were unreadable as the bloods 'haemoglobolised' or some such long word. I asked what she meant by that and it seems the blood clotted or something so they couldn't get results. I asked her why that would have happened and she said 'I don't know'.

Could it be that because I left they didn't analyse the bloods or what does it mean?

In any case, she can't access the 'quick results' I was given so I have to repeat the bloods as she won't believe the result I was told.

I may have gotten the long word wrong. It's got a red line under it, so it's not even a word, but that's what it sounded like to me.......

OP posts:

DecomposingComposers · 20/05/2019 15:01

Was it haemolysed?

It means that the blood clotted in the tube and they can't test it. Sometimes they've left it waiting too long or if someone shakes it it can't be used.

Do you have to go back?

Original poster

Irulez · 20/05/2019 15:03

That's the word!

She said it meant the blood clotted and I asked why and she said she didn't know.

So yes, I've to go back tomorrow.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 20/05/2019 15:03

You just need them done again, it happens.

Original poster

Irulez · 20/05/2019 15:03

What are the 'quick' results vs the laboratory results?

OP posts:

PJMasksAreOnTheirWay · 20/05/2019 15:04

It can just mean the blood sample clotted before it got to the lab, can be because it was in the syringe too long. It happens. It’s annoying but it just means you have to have it done again.

Original poster

Irulez · 20/05/2019 15:05

Surely the quick results are going to be the same as the laboratory results?
If the A&E doctor could access the 'quick' results as he kept calling them, surely the other dept. could access the same?

OP posts:

SpaSushi · 20/05/2019 15:07

Maybe haemolysis/ heamolyzed sample?

I think it can be due to how the sample was taken - causing g the red blood cells to break open

PJMasksAreOnTheirWay · 20/05/2019 15:08

They may have done a blood gas which is where you can get some results straight away.

But there are many blood tests that have to be taken to the lab and have to be processed. You can’t do everything on a gas and some results are inaccurate such as U&Es if done by finger prick.

PJMasksAreOnTheirWay · 20/05/2019 15:10

Can be inaccurate, not are. I meant.

DecomposingComposers · 20/05/2019 15:10

I had bloods done in hospital recently and they ran them through a fast scan. There was quite a difference between those and the full lab results though so maybe they still want the full results?

TwitterQueen1 · 20/05/2019 15:11

It means nothing OP. The blood clotted before they got confirmed results.

ScruffGin · 20/05/2019 15:11

The quick test is a blood gas machine, which they have in A&E, it gives us basic information bit isn't as accurate as the laboratory tests

It sounds like yours haemolysed, which is quite common, happens to about 1 in 20 of the bloods we send, just means the tube got left a bit too long/got dropped/got too hot or cold, doesn't mean anything bad!

itswinetime · 20/05/2019 15:13

Some tests like blood sugar and a blood gas can be run on machines in the department. They provide an almost instant result. They can't test for everything though and normal doctors like to have lab tests (the ones that take a while) to back them up and be 100% happy. Lab results are normally the gold standard for diagnosis.

Unfortunately something happened with the blood they lab was going test (it clotted) lots of possible reasons so while they have the instant results they need to take another sample for the lab to get the confirmation they want.

As for if other departments can access the bedside tests (the quick ones you had) that all depends on how well documented it was at the time by the a&e doctor/ what system they use to keep records.

Lifeisabeach09 · 20/05/2019 15:14

The quick results is where a small amount of blood is put into and read by a venous/arterial blood gas machines in A&E then they printed out by the machine on what looks a bit like a shop receipt. These are immediate results, stuck into your A&E notes. Other depts rarely have access to this 'receipt.' It's just the A&E dept. Other tubes of blood are taken and sent to the path lab for a more thorough look.

Original poster

Irulez · 20/05/2019 15:17

Well, it hasn't happened before, so I suppose it is uncommon. Ah well, just need to go in again tomorrow I suppose!

OP posts:

Original poster

Irulez · 20/05/2019 15:18

Although maybe it has happened but they just say 'we need to take more bloods', they don't say why.

OP posts:

Original poster

Irulez · 20/05/2019 15:20

You'd swear we had all day everyday to be going here there and yonder.

OP posts:

Cerseilannisterinthesnow · 20/05/2019 16:37

As others have said it just means the sample has clotted and is no longer able to be tested. I am a community phlebotomist and find this happens mainly in the summer when it starts to get hotter and also have had a lot more coming back since they opened the new hospital further away so are in transport for longer etc

Original poster

Irulez · 20/05/2019 19:37

The blood test was taken in the hospital. At night. No transportation, no sunlight.

OP posts:

Babysharkdododont · 20/05/2019 19:45

Slightly annoying OP, but if you wanttge results you'll need to repeat the bloods. Presumably if you presented at the ED by night there was something quite significantly wrong, so you'll want to get to the bottom of it.

Emelene · 20/05/2019 19:47

Also they may have taken more than one bottle for different tests. So you could have had the results from some tests but unable to complete all the tests needed due to the haemolysis. It happens. I hope your repeat test is okay.

Winegumaddict · 20/05/2019 19:55

It's just one of those things unfortunately very very common. Even though the blood was taken in the hospital it can take a while to get the sample to the lab. Also if its shaken or dropped etc. blood can haemolyse so easily. It's annoying but hopefully the next set will be readable.

pastyballbag · 20/05/2019 20:00

what bastards the nhs are asking you to come back to have your bloods repeated due to something no one could control

Namechange170518 · 20/05/2019 20:11

I work in a blood sciences lab. Haemolysed samples are very common. It just means that some of the red blood cells have burst. This can happen for many reasons, normally due to how the sample has been taken or transported to the lab. If they took it with a syringe and squirted it into the tube too fast, that can haemolyse it. If they send it to the lab using a pod system and don't put any extra padding in the container, it can get shaken about and that can haemolyse the sample. If someone in the lab drops the tube on the floor (they normally bounce), that can haemolyse the sample. Most biochemistry tests are done on automated machinery. Part of the way they get results for certain tests is by shining light through the serum (samples are centrifuged to seperate the cells and serum). If a sample is haemolysed, the serum will be red and the machine will be unable to shine light through it so won't produce a result.

Hope this helps put your mind at rest.

TL:DR - it's normal, don't worry.

Sorry to post here - re bloods - unreadable

Original poster

Irulez · 21/05/2019 02:23

Thanks. Given the effort they put into trying to get blood out of me, I'd have thought my blood would have been treated like blue blood!

OP posts:

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