Hemolysis of a blood sample would cause rejection for what type of testing?

Hemolysis, the breakdown of red blood cells, can significantly impact certain laboratory tests by altering the composition of the serum or plasma. In the context of potassium testing, hemolysis is particularly problematic because it causes the release of potassium from inside the red blood cells into the serum. This can lead to falsely elevated potassium levels, which could mislead healthcare providers regarding a patient’s actual physiology and may result in inappropriate management decisions. In contrast, while hemolysis can influence other tests (such as a complete blood count by affecting red cell data), the critical nature of accurate potassium levels for patient safety makes potassium testing especially sensitive to this issue.