Role of Correction Factor in Minimizing Errors While Calculating Electrolyte Values between Blood-gas Analyzer and...

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Medical Diagnostics
• Laboratory Medicine

Background:

• Electrolytes are vital for bodily functions and are measured using arterial blood-gas (ABG) analyzers and autoanalyzers (AA).
• Discrepancies between ABG and AA measurements can impact patient care.
• Standardization of electrolyte measurements is essential for reliable diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the correction factor for sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) to establish concordance between ABG and AA values.
• To validate the accuracy of electrolyte measurements across different analytical platforms.
• To improve the reliability of electrolyte testing in clinical laboratories.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 100 patient samples, with validation on 30 additional patients.
• Blood samples analyzed using both heparin-flushed syringes for ABG and standard collection for AA.
• Statistical analysis included mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, Karl Pearson's correlation, Deming regression, and Bland-Altman plots.

Main Results:

• Mean sodium levels differed between ABG (130.27 ± 7.85 mmol/L) and AA (139.28 ± 7.89 mmol/L).
• Mean potassium levels differed between ABG (3.542 ± 0.76 mmol/L) and AA (4.196 ± 0.72 mmol/L).
• Identified correction factors: 9.01 for sodium and 0.654 for potassium, with defined confidence intervals.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in sodium and potassium measurements between ABG and AA analyzers.
• Correction factors are necessary to ensure accurate and comparable electrolyte values.
• Each healthcare facility should conduct in-house studies to determine specific correction factors for their equipment to minimize errors.