A specimen was collected for free serum calcium, and the venipuncture was extremely difficult. The tourniquet was left on about 3 minutes, and the patient was asked to clench the fist tightly. A serum separator tube was filled about one-third full and allowed to clot at room temperature for 15 minutes before centrifugation. The specimen was held at room temperature for approximately 3 hours before analysis. What effect(s) does the difficult venipuncture have on free serum calcium levels? Was the specimen handled correctly before testing? If not, what effect(s) can be expected? How accurate is the free calcium measured from this specimen?
[Expert Solution]: A specimen was collected for free serum…
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