Comparative Evaluation of Centrifugation Speed and Its Impact on Diagnostic Accuracy.

Abstract

Introduction: Timely laboratory results are essential for effective clinical decision-making, with turnaround time (TAT) serving as a key performance indicator. Pre-analytical steps like centrifugation significantly impact TAT. This study investigates whether a shorter, high-speed centrifugation can reduce TAT while maintaining the analytical accuracy required for routine diagnostic testing.

Methodology: This comparative experimental study analyzed blood samples from patients using plasma and serum tubes. Two centrifugation methods (A: (routine) 10 min at 3200 g; B: (faster) 5 min at 4000 g) were compared across chemistry, immunochemistry, coagulation, and interference indices.

Results: Most analytes showed no significant difference between the two methods, indicating strong analytical agreement. However, significant differences were observed in sodium (p = 0.003), CKMB (p = 0.044), ALP (p = 0.001), ALT (p = 0.011), FRT4 (p < 0.001), PT (p = 0.008), and INR (p = 0.003). Despite these differences, all values remained within clinically acceptable ranges. Hemolysis rates decreased notably under the high-speed method, dropping from 10.4% to 5.1%. Bias analysis across tube types revealed greater variability for CKMB and ALT under the high-speed method (bias = 2.76 and -2.92; CVs = 68.8% and 84.16%, respectively).

Conclusion: High-speed centrifugation significantly reduces processing time without compromising clinical reliability. Despite minor analyte differences, all values ramined within acceptable clinical ranges. Furthermore, the observed reduction in hemolysis rates strengthens the case for adopting the high-speed method as a reliable, efficient, and clinically safe alternative for routine laboratory workflows.