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Frequently Asked Questions

How will patient specimens with HBOC be identified?
Included with the Hemopure® package are brightly colored labels for placement on patient specimens containing Hemopure to alert laboratory personnel. Specimens with these labels should be processed using the appropriate procedures for Hemopure specimens.

Specimens containing Oxyglobin should have hospital specific labels affixed to the sample, none are provided in the Oxyglobin Solution® package.

Can you distinguish between true hemolysis and the presence of HBOC in a specimen?
There is no way to distinguish them visually. Routine laboratory analysis cannot differentiate between hemolysis and either Hemopure or Oxyglobin.

Why are plasma hemoglobin levels (Hemopure or Oxyglobin) measured?
Plasma hemoglobin levels are measured to determine the amount of HBOC present in the patient specimen. These levels are used to compare the patient HBOC concentration with that of the predetermined HBOC limit (see Step 2) for accurate results in laboratory assays. The hemolytic index provided by the instrument manufacturer may be used as a conservative estimate.

How are plasma or serum hemoglobin levels (Hemopure or Oxyglobin) measured?
A hemoglobinometer can be used to measure HBOC in the serum or plasma of a patient specimen. Some instruments have been tested for accuracy in measuring HBOC concentrations (see Step 2).

Do Hematology instruments need to be tested for HBOC interferences?
Most hematology parameters e.g., WBC, RBC, and platelet counts and WBC differentials are not affected by the presence of either HBOC. However, techniques which rely on the direct measurement of hemoglobin may be affected since the measurement of hemoglobin (Hb) would be the combination of RBC Hb plus the HBOC.

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) will be increased in HBOC-treated patients because the plasma hemoglobin is included in the calculation of these parameters.