[The effect of storage time, temperature and initial test material on clinico-chemical blood variables]

The effect of temperature and duration of storage on clinico-chemical variables was investigated in Na heparinized plasma and plasma or serum of Na heparinized whole blood and whole blood of horses, respectively. The values of AST, Gamma-GT, AP, bilirubin, cholesterol, urea, total protein, albumin, Ca, Mg and Na varied in all the sample substrates investigated at 20-22 degrees C and 4 degrees C less than +/- 10% during the observation period of up to four days. In the Na heparinized plasma samples kept at 20-22 degrees C and 4 degrees C also LDH, CK, inorganic P and K did not differ significantly from its initial values during the four days. However, in the plasma of sampled stored at 20-22 degrees C as Na heparinized whole blood, the increases of LDH, CK, P and K until the fourth day of storage reached 56%, 49% and 69% and in the serum of samples kept as whole blood 90%, 165%, 147% and 48% respectively. While at 4 degrees C in the plasma of samples stored as Na heparinized whole blood until the fourth storage day only K increased significantly (by 28%), the LDH, CK and K values in the serum of samples stored as whole blood rose to 118%, 136% and 141% respectively. In the Na heparinized plasma samples kept at -18 degrees C all the measured variables did not differ significantly from the initial values during the storage time of 10 weeks.