Splenectomy-related red cell lysis resistance causing analytical difficulty in a patient with a hematological malignancy.

A patient with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and a previous splenectomy underwent full blood count analysis in a general hospital. Her medical care had previously taken place in a different institution. A CELL- DYN Sapphire analyser measured her lymphocyte count at ten-fold higher than her known baseline. The sample was sent to her previous hospital, where the laboratory utilises an ADVIA-2120i analyser. The results of this analysis were in keeping with her baseline. The spurious result appears to be related to red cell lysis resistance following splenectomy; however, this resistance appeared to be specific to the analytical method used.