Labtests admits faulty results

Labtests has admitted sending faulty blood test results to clients. Photo / Greg Bowker

Labtests has admitted it sent out a cluster of faulty blood test results for kidney function before staff detected a problem with one of its machines.

And it acknowledges that the excessively high creatinine results would have alarmed the several patients concerned, but it says no one has been harmed by the error.

Kidney transplant recipient and Auckland District Health Board outpatient Carol Ramage, a former general manager of Green Lane Hospital, had her monthly blood test last Monday.

A DHB renal transplant co-ordinator told 61-year-old Mrs Ramage, of Omaha, north of Auckland, of the high creatinine result on Wednesday and that the test would need to be repeated.

She had the new tests done early that afternoon.

"I then had 24 hours of hell, thinking I was back in renal failure and of all the consequences of that," said Mrs Ramage, who has made a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner.

But on Thursday morning she was told the retest result was normal, and the initial test result was incorrect.

"It is very frightening to have a laboratory service that cannot be relied on and has caused 24 hours of emotional stress to my husband and myself as we relived the nightmare of renal failure, dialysis and transplant when it was completely unnecessary."

The company's chief executive, Craig Marshall, would not be interviewed, but said in a statement he was concerned at the distress caused to Mrs Ramage and had apologised to her.

He said that last Monday, Labtests issued a "small number" of incorrect creatinine (renal function) results.

"An initial investigation showed this to be because the instrument that tests creatinine experienced a calibration shift. The creatinine assay [or measurement] had drifted to beyond allowable limits.

"The issue was detected by Labtests staff as part of the machine's performance checks that are carried out several times each day, and corrected.

"Affected patient samples were re-run and amended reports were issued," Dr Marshall said.

"I take any issues with clinical quality extremely seriously and have asked that this matter be fully investigated and it will be reported back through the appropriate channels."