Osmotic Fragility, Erythrocyte

Label Mnemonic:	ROSF
Epic code:	LAB330
Downtime form:	A-1a Doctor/Provider Orders - Pathology Core and Specialty Care Nursery

Commercial Mailout Laboratory
6240-8 RCP
356-8593

Specimen(s):

Whole Blood

Specimen Instructions:

Refrigerate within 30 minutes of collection, viable 72 hours only. Specimens should be received at reference laboratory within 24 hours of collection; testing must be performed within 72 hours of collection.

Collection Medium:

Green top tube 10 mL (Na Heparin) Hospital Stores #907693

Alternate Collection Media:

Light Green top tube (Lithium Heparin)

Minimum:

Preferred Minimum:  5 mL whole blood and TWO unfixed air-dried, 
and unstained smears

Absolute Minimum:  1 mL whole blood and TWO unfixed, air-dried, and 
unstained smears

Rejection Criteria:

Grossly hemolyzed specimens.

Delivery Instructions:

Deliver to laboratory immediately after collection. Must be refrigerated within 30 minutes of collection.

Turn Around Time:

1-5 days upon receipt at reference laboratory

Reference Range:

Within normal curve limits. A graph will accompany laboratory report.

Interpretive Data:

For patients with acute hemolysis, a normal red cell osmotic fragility test result cannot exclude an osmotic fragility abnormality since the osmotically labile cells may be hemolyzed and not present. Recommend testing during a state of prolonged homeostasis with stable hematocrit.

Comments:

Deliver specimen to lab before 1200 (Sunday through Thursday only)-referred to reference laboratory. Pertinent clinical information should accompany the request. Analysis cannot be done on patients transfused in the preceding three months since the presence of transfused cells may render the interpretation ambiguous.

Methodology:

Spectrophotometry

CPT Code:

85555

See Additional Information:
Specimens Requiring Immediate Delivery