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Information about Hemolysis

This article is about medical aspects of hemolysis. For hemolysis in the culture of microorgranisms, see Hemolysis (microbiology).


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Hemolysis. Red blood cells with (right) and without (left and middle) hemolysis.
Hemolysis (or haemolysis)—from the Latin Hemo-, Greek Αἷμα meaning blood, -lysis, meaning to break open— is the breaking open of red blood cells and the release of hemoglobin into the surrounding fluid (plasma, in vivo).

In vivo hemolysis

Main article: Hemolytic anemia
In vivo hemolysis, which can be caused by a large number of conditions, can lead to anemia.

Anemias caused by in vivo hemolysis are collectively called hemolytic anemias.

In vitro hemolysis

In vitro hemolysis can be an important unwanted effect in medical tests and can cause inaccurate results, because the contents of hemolysed red blood cells are included with the serum. The concentration of potassium inside red blood cells is much higher than in the serum and so an elevated potassium is usually found in biochemistry tests of hemolysed blood. If as little as 0.5% of the red blood cells are lysed the serum will have a visually obvious pinkish colour, due to hemoglobin.

In vitro hemolysis can occur in a blood sample owing prolonged storage or storage in incorrect conditions (ie too hot, too cold). Hemolysis can also occur at the time of venipuncture, but it is uncommon when the venipuncture is straightforward and the phlebotomist is experienced. Excessive suction can cause the red blood cells to be literally smashed on their way through the hypodermic needle owing to turbulence and physical forces. Such hemolysis is more likely to occur when a patient's veins are difficult to find or when they collapse when blood is removed by a syringe or a modern vacuum tube.

Hemolysis due to mechanical blood processing during surgery

In some surgical procedures (esp. some heart operations) where substantial blood loss is expected, machinery is used for intra-operative blood salvage. A centrifuge process takes blood from the patient, washes the red blood cells with normal saline, and returns them to the patient's blood circulation. Hemolysis may occur if the centrifuge rotates too quickly (generally greater than 500 rpm) — essentially this is hemolysis occurring outside of the body. Unfortunately, increased hemolysis occurs with massive amounts of sudden blood loss, because the process of returning patient's cells must be done at a correspondingly higher speed to prevent hypotension, pH imbalance, and a number of other hemodynamic & blood level factors.

Hemolysis in microbiology

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Hemolyses of streptococci. (from left) Alpha, beta and gamma
Main article: Hemolysis (microbiology)
Hemolytic patterns of the various Gram positive cocci; Streptococci are differentiated by hemolysis of red blood cells on blood agar (BA) plates.
  • Alpha hemolysis is shown by a greenish halo around the colony and is the result of hemoglobin reduction to methaemoglobin in red blood cells.
  • Beta hemolysis is shown by a clear halo around the colony and is produced by complete hemolysis of the red blood cells.
  • Gamma hemolysis is shown as no hemolysis or discoloration of the blood.

See also

External links

Hemolysis is used in the empirical identification of microorganisms based on the ability of bacterial colonies grown on agar plates to break down red blood cells in the culture.
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Official status
Official language of:  Greece
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For other meanings, see Lysis (disambiguation).


Lysis (Greek λύσις, lusis from luein
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Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate body's principal means of delivering oxygen from the lungs or gills to body tissues via the blood.
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Hemoglobin, also spelled haemoglobin and abbreviated Hb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of the blood in vertebrates and other animals.
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Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended. It makes up about 55% of total blood volume. Blood plasma is prepared simply by spinning a tube of fresh blood in a centrifuge until the blood cells fall to the bottom of the tube.
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In vivo (Latin: (with)in the living) means that which takes place inside an organism. In science, in vivo refers to experimentation done in or on the living tissue of a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead one.
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Hemolytic anemia
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 D55-D59
ICD-9 282 , 283 , 773

DiseasesDB 5534
MedlinePlus 000571
eMedicine med/979  

Hemolytic anemia
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Anemia
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 D 50. -D 64.
ICD-9 280 - 285

DiseasesDB 663
MedlinePlus 000560
eMedicine med/132   emerg/808 emerg/734
MeSH D000740

Anemia (AmE) or anæmia/anaemia
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Anemia
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 D 50. -D 64.
ICD-9 280 - 285

DiseasesDB 663
MedlinePlus 000560
eMedicine med/132   emerg/808 emerg/734
MeSH D000740

Anemia (AmE) or anæmia/anaemia
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Hemolytic anemia
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 D55-D59
ICD-9 282 , 283 , 773

DiseasesDB 5534
MedlinePlus 000571
eMedicine med/979  

Hemolytic anemia
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In vitro (Latin: (with) in the glass) refers to the technique of performing a given experiment in a test tube, or, generally, in a controlled environment outside a living organism. In vitro fertilization is a well-known example of this.
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Potassium (IPA: /pə(ʊ)ˈtasiəm/, /pə'tæsiəm/) is a chemical element. It has the symbol K (Arabic: al qalja
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Blood is a specialized biological fluid consisting of red blood cells (also called RBCs or erythrocytes), white blood cells (also called leukocytes) and platelets (also called thrombocytes) suspended in a complex fluid medium known as blood plasma.
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In medicine venipuncture or venepuncture (also known as phlebotomy, venesection, blood draw, drawing blood or taking blood) is the process of obtaining a sample of venous blood.
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A phlebotomist is an individual trained to draw blood (venipuncture), either for laboratory tests or for blood donations.

Their role

Phlebotomy is the act of collecting blood either for testing or transfusion.
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hypodermic needle is a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body. They may also be used to take liquid samples from the body, for example taking blood from a vein in venipuncture.
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centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by a motor, that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying force perpendicular to the axis. The centrifuge works using the sedimentation principle, where the centripetal acceleration is used to separate substances
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In medicine, saline is a general term referring to a sterile solution of sodium chloride (table salt) in water, frequently used for intravenous infusion, rinsing contact lenses, nasal irrigation, and the yogic practice called jala neti.
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MeSH D007022

In physiology and medicine, hypotension refers to an abnormally low blood pressure. This is best understood as a physiologic state, rather than a disease. It is often associated with shock, though not necessarily indicative of it.
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    pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Aqueous solutions at 25 ℃ with a pH less than seven are considered acidic, while those with a pH greater than seven are considered basic (alkaline). The pH of 7.
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    Hemolysis is used in the empirical identification of microorganisms based on the ability of bacterial colonies grown on agar plates to break down red blood cells in the culture.
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    Hemolysin is a form of exotoxin protein produced by bacteria which causes lysis of red blood cells in vitro. Visualization of hemolysis of red blood cells in agar plates facilitates the categorization of some pathogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus.
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