Stability of Whole Blood Electrolyte Specimens at Room Temperature vs. Slushed Ice Conditions.
Gerald Stanley ZavorskyXander M R van WijkSamuel GasparyanNicholas S StollenwerkRebecca A BrooksPublished in: The journal of applied laboratory medicine (2021)
Whole blood sodium, [K+], ionized calcium, and chloride concentrations remain stable for at least 109 min at room temperature. However, whole blood specimens stored in slushed ice for not more than 67 min exhibit a 5% probability that the [K+] concentration will increase by at least 0.3 mmol/L compared to baseline. The other analytes do not destabilize for up to 178 min of slushed ice storage.