A-187 The Effect of Ambient Temperature on Potassium During Hot Months: The Seasonal Pseudohypokalemia Delima!

Abstract

Abstract Background Laboratory tests are vital tools for the clinicians and it is becoming more and more the most the decision maker for the management of patients. Blood samples are drawn from patients and transported to the laboratory for analysis; samples are exposed to various temperatures during transportation which could have an effect on test results. We studied the effect of seasonal change on the potassium results using lithium heparin plasma tubes. Method We compared the results collected from one day/month each from January 2022 to August 2022 from patients residing in Long-Term Care Facilities and were transported to the laboratory during which the samples were exposed to ambient temperature. A total of 16 086 specimens were collected using Lithium heparin plasma tubes up to 8/8/2022, sample on 8/15/22 were collected using serum gel separation tubes. Statistical analysis was done using Analyse-it. Results our results showed an increase in hypokalemia with the increase in ambient temperature, the highest incidence of hypokalemia was during the month of June to August which corresponds with the higher ambient temperature. There was an increase in hypoglycemia at the same time of the increase in hypokalemia. The percentage of samples with hypokalemia was normalized when serum (SST) tubes were used. Conclusion Seasonal pseudohypokalemia is phenomena that is seen when the samples are transported to the laboratory from different collection sites during the hot temperature. The increase in hypokalemia could be due to an increase in glucose metabolism and the cellular uptake of potassium or could be mediated by sodium-potassium-exchange-ATPase. Serum samples were less affected by the temperature change than lithium heparin plasma. It is very important to emphasis on the temperature during transporting samples to the laboratory to avoid seasonal pseudohypokalemia in the hot temperature season and hyperkalemia during the cold temperature season.