In a CBC with a delta check that flags a potential artifact, which action is appropriate to resolve?

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Multiple Choice

In a CBC with a delta check that flags a potential artifact, which action is appropriate to resolve?

When a delta check flags a potential artifact, the fix is to obtain a new sample using a different anticoagulant to remove the interference causing the discrepancy. EDTA can cause things like platelet clumping, which falsely lowers platelet counts and can alter white cell counts. Recollecting in a blue-top tube with citrate reduces these artifacts, giving a more accurate picture of the patient's counts. Because citrate dilutes the blood slightly, labs often apply a correction factor to compare the citrate results to the EDTA baseline. Multiplying the platelet and white blood cell counts by 1.1 estimates what the counts would be in whole blood if the sample had been drawn into EDTA, helping verify whether the initial difference was due to an artifact rather than a real change in the patient. Rerunning the same sample would not resolve the artifact, ignoring the delta check isn’t appropriate, and increasing the sample volume in the same EDTA tube won’t address the underlying interference.

When a delta check flags a potential artifact, the fix is to obtain a new sample using a different anticoagulant to remove the interference causing the discrepancy. EDTA can cause things like platelet clumping, which falsely lowers platelet counts and can alter white cell counts. Recollecting in a blue-top tube with citrate reduces these artifacts, giving a more accurate picture of the patient's counts.

Because citrate dilutes the blood slightly, labs often apply a correction factor to compare the citrate results to the EDTA baseline. Multiplying the platelet and white blood cell counts by 1.1 estimates what the counts would be in whole blood if the sample had been drawn into EDTA, helping verify whether the initial difference was due to an artifact rather than a real change in the patient.

Rerunning the same sample would not resolve the artifact, ignoring the delta check isn’t appropriate, and increasing the sample volume in the same EDTA tube won’t address the underlying interference.

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