[Blood sampling systems and interference in immunoassay].

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Context:

• Blood collection systems contain diverse reagents (additives, excipients) from numerous manufacturers.
• These reagents can interfere with immunoassay (IA) testing, a critical diagnostic tool.
• Conventional intralaboratory quality control (QC) methods using reference substances fail to detect this interference.

Purpose:

• To review the mechanisms by which additives in blood sampling systems cause immunoassay interference.
• To highlight the challenges in monitoring and preventing these reagent-induced systemic errors.
• To emphasize the need for enhanced QC strategies in immunochemical studies.

Summary:

• Reagents in blood collection tubes can cause undetectable interference in immunoassays.
• The variety of additives and manufacturers complicates quality control.
• This interference poses a risk to the accuracy of immunochemical test results.

Impact:

• Highlights a significant, often overlooked, source of error in clinical diagnostics.
• Underscores the limitations of current quality control measures for immunoassays.
• Calls for the development of new strategies to ensure the reliability of diagnostic testing.