Abstract
Summary
Significant unspecific increases in osmolality can be observed when blood samples are allowed to remain from 1 to 4 hr at room temperature before serum is separated from the corpuscular blood elements. The increase is related to production of lactic acid caused by the persistent glycolytic activity of erythrocytes and leukocytes. This error can be reduced by immediate cooling of the samples or by using plasma which has been separated from the blood cells within 20 min after collection of the sample.
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