Clinical Thresholds for Pseudohyperkalemia and Pseudonormokalemia in Patients with Thrombocytosis

Abstract

Background: The lysis of platelets during in vitro coagulation leads to increased potassium concentrations.We aimed to establish the cut-off value for platelet count interfering serum potassium and to estimate the percentage of cases of pseudohyperkalemia and pseudonormokalemia in our hospital.

Materials and methods: Individuals diagnosed with essential thrombocytosis (2010-2019) based on the WHO criteria for the classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia were considered.The cut-off value for the interference of platelet count on serum potassium results was calculated using the reference change value. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated using a ROC-curve, and the size of the effect by the Cohen's d.The clinical impact of both phenomena was assessed by reviewing the medical records of individuals classified as such, and also looking for potential cases in 2019 on the laboratory information system.

Results: Fifty-four individuals with essential thrombocytosis were included. Potassium concentration correlated with platelet count (P-value<0.001; Spearman's ρ =0.394) in serum. The cut-off value of platelet count interfering potassium was 598x10³/μL [CI95%: 533-662x10³/μL], with an associated sensitivity and specificity of 0.67 [CI95%:0.52-0.80] and 0.58 [CI95%:0.42-0.72] respectively.The medical records of patients classified as pseudohyperkalemia or pseudonormokalemia did not include any medical action for the modification of potassium levels. In 2019, up to 0.14% of the total serum potassium determinations were susceptible to be pseudohyperkalemia or pseudonormokalemia.

Conclusion: This study provides a cut-off value for platelet count interfering serum potassium concentrations, and brings to light not only pseudohyperkalemia-related issues, but also the pseudonormokalemia phenomenon, which usually goes unnoticed.

Keywords: cut-off; hyperkalemia; interference; platelet; potassium.