Patent ID: 8084223

Claim:
A method for detecting a false result in an assay for determining a concentration of an erythrocytophilic analyte in a whole blood sample suspected of containing the erythrocytophilic analyte, the method comprising: (a) determining by means of the assay a concentration of the erythrocytophilic analyte utilizing a hemolyzed portion of the blood sample to obtain concentration value 1, (b) determining by means of the assay a concentration of the erythrocytophilic analyte utilizing a non-hemolyzed portion of the blood sample and multiplying the concentration times a hematocrit factor to obtain concentration value 2, (c) determining a ratio of concentration value 1 divided by concentration value 2, and (d) comparing the ratio from (c) to a predetermined ratio of known reliability wherein, if the ratio is less than the predetermined ratio, a false result is indicated.