difference in lab reports

[Neel]

I was just wondering if u guys have ever experienced the difference in lab reports. I have been facing this for quite some time now. When ever i send the sample of blood for CBC to 2 labs, i get different readings. Lately the difference in readings have been quite vast. I sent the sample to two lab on 17/3/11 and one lab showed the platelet count as 30000 and other as 15000. next day i.e. 18/3/2011 when i repeated the CBC, the reading was 25000 and 22000. I got the CBC done ysday i.e. 21/3/2011 and the results 58000 and 12000.

If i go by report of one lab we have to consider transfusion of platelet (12000 is the count of that lab) and other lab is showing 58000, therefore no need of transfusion. its kind of confusing. The treatment of this disease depends on reports, and if the reports are so contradictory then ????

Neel

P.S. No use in talking to the lab people as they swear by there report. In fact i did talked to both the lab people with no outcome, both sweared by their report.

[Chirley]

Hi

Beat this. I had 2 blood request forms but had them both at the one lab at the same time. The nurse took the blood from the same puncture with the same needle and just placed the blood into the 2 different tubes. The results were quite different to each other.

The doctor didn't care, he just shrugged and said that "it happens"

Good luck. Perhaps you should take the mean value of the 2 as correct.

Regards

[Paula W.]

Hi Guys,

My Mom is having the same issue. Not so much in the same day, but from 1 day to the next. Last week she went for blood on a Wednesday and platelets were 35,000, next day on Thursday 17,000, and then on Friday before her transfusion she went back up to 27,000 and they cancelled the transfusion.

I agree with you, how do you treat when the blood is so inconsistent?

Best to all!

Paula

[Marlene]

This is true for most. The equipment used to automatically count your platelets and red cells are calibrated to look at the size of the cell to include in the count. If the platelet is larger or smaller than what the machine counts, then those cells are excluded. However, the gap between labs should not be too wide. 5K is not a wide gap. But it is everything for someone with almost no platelets. Some labs automatically re-check low platelet counts manually when the machine count is below a certain number. That would be stated on the lab report.

What you need to do is to decide on just one lab to manage your transfusions and track your trends. And then take into account your symptoms. With John, we kept pushing the threshold. Instead of going by "standard threshold", we found the lowest level he could go without symptoms. So he would get platelet transfusions at 8K or at anytime where he was bleeding more than usual.

The other thing that can effect the count is how the specimen is handle either during the draw or at the lab.

Platelets fluctuate daily and it's not unusual for them to bounce around. So I wouldn't worry too much about the changes from one day to the next.

Managing this disease is as much an art as it is a science. You cannot go by test results exclusively.