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Old 02-23-2022, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Vallejo
21,691 posts, read 24,867,337 times
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Time for a new doctor and new lab.
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Old 02-24-2022, 05:31 AM
 
Location: London U.K.
2,587 posts, read 1,580,542 times
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I kinda had similar to this recently, but the other way around.
Subsequent to a mild heart attack in 1995, I have an annual check by a cardiologist at a central London hospital.
I had a check a couple of weeks ago and she requested a blood sample, sending me to the blood test department just across the corridor.
When I got to the head of the line after taking a ticket, the nurse said, “Do you have your paperwork?”
I replied, “No, Dr. Webb sent me across from cardiology.”
She tapped her computer keyboard and said, “Oh, you must be Mr. Christopher Wilson”, I said, “No, my name’s Jean-François Genou.”
I had to go back to cardiology, where the cardiologist apologised, saying that she’d been writing Mr. Wilson’s notes when I walked in to see her, and his name was still on her mind.
All ended well, I proved to have a vitamin D deficiency and my GP prescribed Vitamin D supplements, but I was hoping for a prescription for a month in Naples FL, to catch some sun!
I wasn’t unduly bothered by this tiny screw-up, after all it was all on the U.K. government’s dime, so it was no real surprise that I didn’t get my trip to Florida.
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Old 02-24-2022, 06:48 AM
 
13,264 posts, read 8,364,288 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChessieMom View Post
That is absolutely of no help to the OP.
How so?
And please stop smacking yourself .
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Old 02-24-2022, 06:50 AM
 
13,264 posts, read 8,364,288 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Malloric View Post
Time for a new doctor and new lab.
ChessiesMom says we aren't allowed to be direct . I said the same thing. Weird how I get targeted and you didn't.
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Old 02-24-2022, 04:57 PM
 
Location: Dessert
10,842 posts, read 7,245,801 times
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I've had issues with the lab, too. Samples taken for one doc were processed; samples for a different doc taken at the same time disappeared. I called customer service, and they couldn't figure it out.

Another time, I got a call from the lab: "Your blood can't be ran." Ugh, bad English. Questioning determined which sample was unusable, but they never did explain why. I'm guessing they dropped it.
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Old 02-24-2022, 06:30 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California
1,147 posts, read 845,192 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steiconi View Post
I've had issues with the lab, too. Samples taken for one doc were processed; samples for a different doc taken at the same time disappeared. I called customer service, and they couldn't figure it out.

Another time, I got a call from the lab: "Your blood can't be ran." Ugh, bad English. Questioning determined which sample was unusable, but they never did explain why. I'm guessing they dropped it.
As I mentioned before most large laboratories have a tracking system in place for samples. The drawing station collects the samples and puts them into the system. Once the samples are received in the lab then that step is recorded in the computer and if special processing is required then that step is noted in the computer as a process entry. The testing station records all the samples via the analyzer interface. After testing the sample is placed in a rack with location entered into the computer.

Lost samples can occur all along the process and one goes to the last location the sample was entered into the computer. That's how we track the sample. I once. found a lost sample under the computer keyboard where they were receiving blood on arrival to the lab. Some samples are lost at the test station due to the rocking action of tubes that land under the rocker. Some people put them in their lab coat pockets and forget about them. Sometimes they do fall and break. I recall on one occasion the phlebotomist was transporting the tube of blood and mixing it when it fell and broke. I immediately picked up the remaining intact portion of the tube that still had blood in it. I placed the blood in another tube and ran the test and it was consistent with the patient's previous blood results and so I reported the results.

As to redraw of samples, apart from those listed above, sometimes it is the way it sample was drawn that damaged the blood especially if it were a difficult blood draw. Red blood cells can get destroyed leaving the normal pale yellow color of plasma a red color. That color or the destruction products of the red cells can interfere with blood test results. They may give erroneous low or high test results. Sometimes it's the patients themselves when a sample is too fatty and milky that causes interference with testing. Sometimes they collected the wrong type of tube of blood or they didn't handle the tube preservation correctly like storing it on ice.

The hardest of these to explain to patients is the redraw of blood samples due to delta checks wherein hospitalized patients have redrawn samples when results are aberrant to previous results in order to prevent erroneous reporting of results. If and when the results do come back the same then a comment is put in to alert all caregivers that those weird results were confirmed with a repeat redrawn sample.
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Old 02-25-2022, 07:11 AM
 
Location: Dessert
10,842 posts, read 7,245,801 times
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In my case, both blood and urine samples completely disappeared, with no record of them anywhere. I had discussed the tests with the blood tech, and I know she drew the blood for all the tests.
I made a whole bunch of phone calls trying to track them down; I was working with one person to find them, she seemed determined to figure it out, and had called me several times, then suddenly stopped calling or returning my calls. It was like somebody told her to drop it; I suspect it was something to do with the doctor who ordered the tests (the lab didn't like her? she was suing them? she was out of their area? I dunno).

I've switched to a different lab, and a different doctor, though not because of this.
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Old 02-25-2022, 09:39 AM
 
Location: San Diego, California
1,147 posts, read 845,192 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steiconi View Post
In my case, both blood and urine samples completely disappeared, with no record of them anywhere. I had discussed the tests with the blood tech, and I know she drew the blood for all the tests.
I made a whole bunch of phone calls trying to track them down; I was working with one person to find them, she seemed determined to figure it out, and had called me several times, then suddenly stopped calling or returning my calls. It was like somebody told her to drop it; I suspect it was something to do with the doctor who ordered the tests (the lab didn't like her? she was suing them? she was out of their area? I dunno).

I've switched to a different lab, and a different doctor, though not because of this.
There has to be a record of either a status of uncollected but ordered by the doctor or collected and lost. If by no record one means there is no record of a doctor's order then one would think the doctor ordered the tests on a wrong patient or different patient. The person presenting themselves to the laboratory must identify themselves and specimens labeled right after collection. Since there was a urine collection I presume the sample had your name on the container and hope there wasn't an unlabeled container that you submitted for later labeling.

I personally always look at the labels either before or after they draw my blood in order to see the tests that are going to be performed. The names of the test appear on the label. Each tube has a barcode that has a unique label number and that number is associated with the LIS. Analytical instruments running the test will read the number and will know which test to perform. it is an automated system that uploads and downloads with the LIS.

I would assume that another person's labels were used and there is no way to determine who that person was other than to narrow the time and number sequence because the numbering is sequential. One would then look for your doctor's name. One then looks for the phlebotomist employee number as the collector and that limits the samples to a very narrow number. One usually suspects a mislabeled specimen when a nurse or doctor is looking for results on a sample they are sure was collected and we have no record of it being collected or received in the laboratory. The status in our system is uncollected. On the other end, we might get a phone call stating they got results on a patient that they did not collect blood on.

As far as when to stop the investigation it isn't one telling another person when to stop. When we are talking about a hospital setting the results are often critical and an immediate redraw of the sample is done to provide patient care. In outpatient settings the specimen is labile and specimen integrity most of the time is in hours rather than days. Most of the time the sample isn't any good if found the next day without refrigeration. It needs to be found the same day.

The best practice recommendations state that the patient should state two identifiers for identification w which usually is their name and birthdate. If they get lazy and don't ask then you tell them on your own or insist on looking at the labels they have. On my last blood draw, they did a vitamin D level and a hepatitis B antigen test. I am clueless as to why my doctor ordered the HBsAg. I think it was a mistake. I had the vaccine long ago.
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Old 02-25-2022, 04:15 PM
 
37,477 posts, read 45,720,024 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Malloric View Post
Time for a new doctor and new lab.
No, OP needs to get signed up online so that she can see her actual test results online. I suspect that will clear up some of the mystery. After that, then I’d get back with the dr’s office. Most practices now have online access where all this information is available and it’s usually MUCH clearer for the patient. Even communications are easier using the portals.
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Old 03-05-2022, 04:47 AM
 
Location: NJ
23,820 posts, read 33,327,474 times
Reputation: 30671
Have you found anything out yet?
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