Unlocking Accuracy: Rapid Serum Tubes Revolutionize High Sensitivity Troponin T Testing

This webinar was recorded live on June 20, 2024.
It is available on demand through June 30, 2026.
Register above for access

Description

Hemolysis is the leading source of interference with laboratory testing and can occur due to suboptimal blood collection and/or suboptimal transportation procedures (such as via pneumatic tube systems). The impact can be quite significant, with delays in care delivery caused by hemolyzed samples in the emergency department estimated to cost hospitals on the order of $4 million/year. 

In this webinar, Dr. El-Khoury will review the lessons learned from his group’s latest published study titled “Rapid serum tubes reduce transport hemolysis and false positive rates for high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-cTnT)”. In that study, his group examined the effect of tube type, tube fill, types of sample draw and collection methods on hemolysis and hs-cTnT in samples (n = 158) from patients seen at the Yale-New Haven Hospital’s emergency department. They also compared hs-cTnT values in paired RST and plasma separation tube (PST) samples that were hemolysis-free. The group’s findings support the use of rapid serum tube to reduce hemolysis rates.

Specific recommendations on how to appropriately collect samples to reduce the likelihood of hemolysis will be shared with attendees.

Target Audience

This activity is designed for physicians, lab supervisors, lab directors (and/or assistant directors), lab managers (supervisory and/or non-supervisory), medical technologists, pathologists, and other laboratory professionals overseeing/conducting within this topic.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate the clinical utility of the rapid serum tube (RST) and its effect on hemolysis
• Implement strategies to effectively reduce hemolysis in samples collected and transported to your laboratory
• Identify outliers affecting high-sensitivity troponin T testing

Faculty

Joe M. El-Khoury, PhD, DABCC, FADLM
Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine 
Yale School of Medicine
Director of Clinical Chemistry Laboratory
Yale-New Haven Health
New Haven, CT, USA

Disclosures and Statement of Independence

The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC) is dedicated to ensuring balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all educational activities. All participating planning committee members and faculty are required to disclose to the program audience any financial relationships related to the subject matter of this program. Disclosure information is reviewed in advance in order to manage and resolve any possible conflicts of interest. The intent of this disclosure is to provide participants with information on which they can make their own judgments.

The following faculty reported financial relationships:

• Joe M. El-Khoury, PhD, DABCC, FADLM
  • Honorarium/Expenses: BD, Siemens Healthineers
  • Grant/Research Support: BD, IDEXX, Bioporto, Siemens Healthineers

Content Validity

All recommendations involving clinical medicine are based on evidence accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients; AND/OR all scientific research referred to or reported in support or justification of a patient care recommendation conforms to generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis.

Accreditation Statement

This activity is approved for 1.0 ACCENT® continuing education credits. Activity ID #4304. This activity was planned in accordance with ACCENT® Standards and Policies.

Successful Completion Statement

Verification of Participation certificates are provided to registered participants based on completion of the activity, in its entirety, and the activity evaluation. For questions regarding continuing education, please email [email protected].