Development of a Low-Cost Spectrometer for Hemolysis Detection in Emergency Blood Gas Samples

BACKGROUND: Hemolysis is a major cause of sample rejection in blood gas analysis. We aimed to develop a low-cost spectrometer for hemolysis detection in emergency laboratories. METHODS: The spectrometer was developed using a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor and DVD-ROM grating. We evaluated the linearity, precision, and interference resistance of the instrument in accordance with CLSI and China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) guidelines. In 51 clinical blood gas samples subjected to mechanically simulated hemolysis, the correlation between absorbance at 540 nm (A540 nm) and the hemolysis index (H index) determined by the Cobas c701 biochemical analyzer was evaluated. We utilized the hemolysis absorbance value that causes a maximum ±10% deviation in potassium (K+) and calcium ion (Ca2+) results as a reference to establish the rejection criteria for hemolysis in blood gas samples. RESULTS: The detection range of the spectrometer spanned 0.1600.671 hemolysis will affect K+ results and A540nm >0.960 hemolysis will affect Ca2+ results. CONCLUSION: This low-cost spectrometer enables reliable pre-analysis hemolysis detection, improving accuracy in blood gas testing.