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A member asked:

Can blood work be wrong for high potassium left out too long?

A doctor has provided 1 answer
Dr. S. Smiley Thakur answered

Specializes in Nephrology and Dialysis

Yes: Samples that are left on the counter too long can hemolyze. This raises the measured value of the potassium. Abnormal labs that are unexpected should be repeated for verification.

Answered 2/3/2018

4.9k views

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Related Questions

A member asked:

I got blood work done and potassium was 6.2, I also got an EKG and a heart ultrasound (later that day) and these were totally normal except for sinus tachycardia of anxiety inducing origin. Does this mean potassium was a false high?

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A member asked:

Causes for heart beating forcefully & twitching? Bad anxiety. Blood work previously showed potassium level 6, but was lab error. Sodium was high, but went down after drinking a lot of water. Ended up being all normal. So anxious and panicky?

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