Evaluation of Turnaround Time for Serum Electrolytes and Troponin I in a Clinical Chemistry Laboratory: A Retrospective Observational Study

Tahseen Kazmi; Hira Tahir; Zainab Hameed; Muhammad Zubair; Saira Farhat

doi:10.37185/LnS.1.1.743

Tahseen Kazmi CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan
Hira Tahir Chughtai Lab, Head Office, Lahore, Pakistan
Zainab Hameed Chughtai Lab, Head Office, Lahore, Pakistan
Muhammad Zubair Indus Hospital, Multan, Pakistan
Saira Farhat Al-Aleem Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.743

Keywords: Benchmark, Clinical Chemistry, Pre-Analytical Phase, Quality Controls, Troponin I

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research was to assess the turnaround time (TAT) of the clinical chemistry
laboratory for serum electrolytes and Troponin I.
Study Design: Retrospective observational study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory of Shalamar
Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan from 4^th January 2020 to 15^th April 2022.
Methods: This retrospective hospital-based study involved 3399 and 573 reports of patients who were
recommended in the clinical chemistry laboratory of the Hospital for serum electrolytes and Troponin I,
respectively. Serum electrolytes and Troponin I were measured on the Diestro analyzer and Abbott i-1000 SR,
respectively. Data analysis was performed on SPSS version 22.
Results: Overall, 3399 patient reports referred for serum electrolyte tests were analyzed, with 1964 tests
reported within TAT and 1435 delayed. Percentages of delay in the three phases of analysis, including before
analysis, during analysis, and after analysis, were 86.7%, 10.00% and 3.30% respectively. A total of 573 reports
of patients referred for Troponin I were analyzed, which shows 227 tests were reported within the standard
Turn Around Time (TAT) and 346 were delayed. Percentages of delay in the pre-analytical phase, analytical
phase, and post-analytical phase were 74%, 20% and 6% respectively.
Conclusion: Standard time for the reporting of serum electrolytes and Troponin I was 120 minutes (2 hours) and 60 minutes (1 hour), respectively. The study concluded that the main reason for the delay was found in the
analysis phase before for both serum electrolytes and Troponin I. So, there is a need to overcome the preanalytical errors to boost the efficiency of the clinical chemistry laboratory.

How to cite this: Kazmi T, Tahir H, Hameed Z, Zubair M, Farhat S. Evaluation of Turnaround Time for Serum Electrolytes and Troponin I in a Clinical Chemistry Laboratory: A Retrospective Observational Study. Life and Science. 2025; 6(4): 542-546. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.743