Which analyte should NOT be transported on ice?

Prepare for the CAMLPR Specimen Collection Competency Test. Practice with diverse question sets including multiple-choice and flashcards. Each question includes hints and explanations to help you become proficient before the exam.

When handling specimens, the goal is to preserve the actual level of each analyte as it was at collection. Some tests are highly sensitive to metabolic activity or sample stability and must be kept cold to slow changes, while others are best preserved by avoiding cooling.

Potassium is primarily an intracellular ion, and its measured level in blood can be affected by cell integrity during transport. Cooling the specimen can promote cellular damage or hemolysis, which releases potassium and falsely elevates the result. For this reason, potassium measurements are not transported on ice; they’re kept at room temperature and processed promptly to avoid temperature-related artifacts.

In contrast, ammonia and lactic acid are labile and can rise quickly after collection due to ongoing tissue and cellular metabolism, so they are routinely placed on ice to slow metabolic processes and preserve true concentrations. Blood gas samples can also be altered by temperature and storage conditions, so they require prompt handling per protocol rather than iced transport.

So, potassium should not be transported on ice because chilling can introduce artifacts from cellular leakage and hemolysis, skewing the result.