Everything about Hemolysis totally explained
Hemolysis (or
haemolysis)—from the Greek
Hemo-,
Greek Αἷμα meaning blood,
-lysis, meaning to break open—is the breaking open of
red blood cells and the release of
hemoglobin into the surrounding fluid (
plasma,
in vivo).
In vivo hemolysis
In vivo hemolysis, which can be caused by a large number of conditions, can lead to
anemia.
Anemias caused by
in vivo hemolysis are collectively called
hemolytic anemias.
In vitro hemolysis
In vitro hemolysis can be an important unwanted effect in medical tests and can cause inaccurate results, because the contents of hemolysed red blood cells are included with the serum. The concentration of
potassium inside red blood cells is much higher than in the serum and so an elevated potassium is usually found in biochemistry tests of hemolysed blood. If as little as 0.5% of the red blood cells are lysed the serum will have a visually obvious pinkish colour, due to hemoglobin.
In vitro hemolysis can occur in a
blood sample owing prolonged storage or storage in incorrect conditions (ie too hot, too cold). Hemolysis can also occur at the time of
venipuncture, but it's uncommon when the venipuncture is straightforward and the
phlebotomist is experienced. Excessive suction can cause the red blood cells to be literally smashed on their way through the
hypodermic needle owing to turbulence and physical forces. Such hemolysis is more likely to occur when a patient's veins are difficult to find or when they collapse when blood is removed by a syringe or a modern vacuum tube.
Hemolysis due to mechanical blood processing during surgery
In some surgical procedures (espescially some heart operations) where substantial blood loss is expected, machinery is used for intra-operative blood salvage. A
centrifuge process takes blood from the patient, washes the red blood cells with
normal saline, and returns them to the patient's blood circulation. Hemolysis may occur if the centrifuge rotates too quickly (generally greater than 500 rpm)—essentially this is hemolysis occurring outside of the body. Unfortunately, increased hemolysis occurs with massive amounts of sudden blood loss, because the process of returning patient's cells must be done at a correspondingly higher speed to prevent
hypotension,
pH imbalance, and a number of other hemodynamic & blood level factors.
Hemolysis in microbiology
Hemolytic patterns of the various Gram positive cocci; Streptococci are differentiated by hemolysis of red blood cells on blood agar (BA) plates.
- Alpha hemolysis is shown by a greenish halo around the colony and is the result of hemoglobin reduction to methaemoglobin in red blood cells.
- Beta hemolysis is shown by a clear halo around the colony and is produced by complete hemolysis of the red blood cells.
- Gamma hemolysis is shown as no hemolysis or discoloration of the blood.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hemolysis'.
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