THE EFFECT OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE AND TIME ON SERUM POTASSIUM LEVELS

Proper specimen storage is compulsory to avoid inaccurate laboratory result, wrong diagnosis and repeated sampling for patients. Electrolyte tests are usually performed as regular check-ups for specific medical conditions, such as decreased renal function, heart failure, and diarrhoea. Potassium is the main intracellular cation which is important for regulating heart function and maintain healthy nerves and muscles. Clinical features of potassium disorder can be the most life-threatening disorder compared to others. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of storage temperature and time on serum potassium levels among apparently healthy individuals. Ethical clearance was obtained from the ethics committee of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). The consent of 12 participants were sought before enrolment. Chemchek Agappe potassium kits was used in ICuBio Ichaem-535 chemistry Analyser to determine serum potassium level at different time interval and storage conditions. The serum samples were analysed immediately after collection, 1hour, 2hours, 4 hours,24hours,48hours and 72hours at storage conditions of 4oC and -25oC simultaneously. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16 and were expressed as mean and standard deviation. Table were used to interpret and display the results. Test of probability less than 0.05(p0.05) as well as serum potassium level of samples stored at -25oc from 1hr to 48hr when compared with control while serum samples stored up to 24hours and 72hours at 4oC and -25oC respectively are statistically significant(p