Use of microanalytic laboratory methods to reduce blood loss in dialysis patients

Annual blood losses from diagnostic tests were determined in 10 stable hemodialysis patients and were found to be 1130 +/- 420 ml per patient. The projected losses if microanalytic laboratory methods are utilized were 122 +/- 34 ml per year, representing a remarkable saving of blood (90 percent) in these anemic patients. We, therefore, recommend that microanalytic laboratory methods which have been reliably used in pediatric services for years be adopted by dialysis facilities.