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Study of analytical error in lipase assay
Sweta Kumari1, Ravi Shekhar1, Rekha Kumari1
1Department of Biochemistry, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar, India.
Annals of African Medicine
|January 25, 2023
Summary
Microbial lipase in triglyceride reagents can interfere with lipase assays, causing falsely elevated results in acute pancreatitis diagnosis. Separating triglyceride and lipase tests on different instruments resolves this analytical error.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Biochemical Diagnostics
Background:
- Lipase and amylase are key biomarkers for diagnosing pancreatic diseases like acute pancreatitis.
- Lipase offers superior diagnostic accuracy for acute pancreatitis compared to amylase.
- Lipase assays on automated analyzers can be challenging due to potential interference from various samples and reagents.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the cause of falsely elevated lipase values observed in laboratory samples.
- Identify and resolve interference issues affecting lipase assay accuracy in automated analyzers.
Main Methods:
- Conducted reagent and sample carryover studies to identify sources of analytical error.
- Analyzed samples for lipase and triglyceride (TGL) levels sequentially on the same instrument.
- Implemented a solution by separating TGL and lipase analyses onto different instruments.
Main Results:
- Falsely elevated lipase values (>500 IU/L) were observed when triglyceride (TGL) assays immediately preceded lipase assays.
- This interference was attributed to microbial lipase present in TGL reagents.
- Separating TGL and lipase testing on distinct instruments corrected the falsely elevated lipase readings.
Conclusions:
- Interference from triglyceride reagents can lead to significant analytical and diagnostic errors in lipase testing.
- Routine interference testing should be incorporated into the validation protocol after analyzer installation to ensure accurate results.
