Potassium Results From Line Draws: Can You Trust Them?

Physicians use the potassium results laboratories report to diagnose and treat a wide variety of conditions. When the result is inaccurate because of how the blood was drawn or handled before it was even tested, the physician is misled. As a result, patients can be misdiagnosed, over- or undermedicated, or mismanaged. When the sample is drawn from an IV line, contamination of IV fluids pose a preventable risk. This video will show you why and how to prevent it.