Someone else posted results with these ranges the other day, I didn't realise they were from Blue Horizon. The FT3 range is very narrow compared with what it used to be - 3.1-6.8. Most FT3 ranges seem to have at least points between bottom and top of range, even my GP surgery's is 3.5-6.5.
If you've still had no reply to your email, they have a freephone number - 0800 999 1110 - or they have live chat on their website.
It wouldn’t be very good for their business to prove no one needs T3. Surely thyroid patients and this forum generate a lot of income for private blood testing companies.
Ok I as I said I am missing something perhaps. Labs can make their own reference ranges based on their population or various other factors. I didn’t understand a plot that would negatively affect their income and by the link with Thyroid UK I meant sympathy towards thyroid patient needs.
Did they print any units against the Free T3 results?
My current best guess is that they have reported the reference range in picograms per millilitre (pg/mL) - not the usual (for most of the world outside the USA) picomoles per litre (pmol/L) - or nanomoles per millilitre. But your result in pmol/L.
I offer two random links to what is numerically the same range - both showing pg/ml:
I used a free online units calculator to convert the range (1.88 to 3.18) into pmol/L, assuming it was in pg/ml. It came out as 2.8879 to 4.8848 - a very much more normal "normal" range.
If my guess turns out right and the lab did this, it is a serious mistake. The fact that BH have said "the lab couldn’t be wrong" compounds the issue - I suspect an awful lot of medics would also assume that. (Few will have typical FT3 reference ranges at the forefront of their memory.) Hence, rather than being sceptical and believing their clinical judgement, they fall for the mistake hook, line and sinker. With the likely end result of mis-diagnosis, mis-treatment and patient harm.
Hi, this is the ranges on my results from BH sample 4/419
TSH. ulU/mL. 0.35-4.94
FreeT4. pmol/L. 9.01-19.051
FreeT3. pmol/L. 1.88-3.18
Put my T3 over range at 4.87!
I reduced my T3 from 10 mcg and it wasn’t until I became symptomatic a week or so later that I scrutinised the range and thought there had been a mistake.
BH are not responding to me!
Since then my GP. Has tested and I am now Low in range .
I have received a response from Paul at Blue Horizon - he has been made aware and appears to have contacted the lab. Hopefully the lab will respond quickly but clearly Paul cannot give an informed reply until then.
That must be a recent addition to the labs they have used before. When I first used them a few years ago my samples were sent to County Pathology. For the last couple of years it's been The Doctor's Laboratory. My last test with them was November 2018 and it was The Doctor's Laboratory then.
Also most labs would contact doctors and/or put on a comment on report when such changes in ref ranges occur, as they could be down to changes in methodology. Very curious such a shift in range, ask them if the lab is accredited by iso 15189, and if not ask them why they are not sending specimens to an accredited lab.
I couldn’t see them either, most nhs and private labs have ISO15189, I’m surprised that specimens which people are paying privately for are going to unaccredited labs I personally would want mine to go to an accredited lab... I can personally say the ISO standards are rigorously applied and yearly surveillance visits involve being toasted and grilled for hours to prove your worth.
Many thanks for bringing this to our attention. We sincerely apologise for the confusion caused and trust the patient has not been too seriously impacted.
You are right that the reference range sent on the report is the US standard reference range which is for pg/ml. The reference range if measured in pg/ml is 1.88 - 3.18 which is not correct if measured in pmol/L as is the standard in the UK. Our analyser is an Abbott Architect which defaulted unexpectedly to the US settings.
The correct reference range should have been reported as (and is in fact) 3.1 - 6.8 pmol/L.
This has been rectified immediately.
Please do let us know if there is anything else we can do to help in this situation. We would be very happy to perform any follow-up testing you may require related to this mistake free of charge.
Once again we offer our sincerest apologies for the error and very much appreciate you bringing it to our immediate attention.
Ask them for a full non conformance report, with their root cause, corrective and preventative actions so that everyone can be assured of their quality in the future... 😋
I’m not totally convinced by their reasoning to be honest, if a test is set to a certain unit the result will be reported in that unit by that analyser. However in this case it would appear that the result was correct but reported against the wrong unit reference range hence making it look really high. Something has gone wrong between the analyser and the reporting computer software in my opinion.
Thank you so much , I hop e no one has been as affected as I have .
Today has been very difficult, causing a lot of stress , I wanted to warn others of this problem. Who knows how many have been affected without realising where fault lies .
Who would question any results through a trusted? company. Blue Horizon .
I wonder how long this would have gone on for if you hadn't contacted them. This is the second time I've seen this range used when a member has posted BH results, there may be others though, and not everyone posts their results.
You sound really upset by this and quite rightly so, I would be too. They have offered free repeat testing, but if I were you I wouldn't be happy to use that lab again. Maybe contact BH and ask for a refund? Doesn't make up for the suffering you've had to deal with, but better than nothing at all?
Sorry this happened, in general we (biomedical scientists) don’t look to cause harm and put checks (validation plans) in place whenever we make changes to ensure mistakes don’t happen. By the way I don’t have any association to the above lab. Hope you get back on track soon.
They upgraded their LIMS system in October! The LIMS communicates between the analysers and the computers I wonder if they fully validated the system to ensure everything matched up etc....
I have received a response from Paul at Blue Horizon:
Hi <helvella>,
I managed to get hold of the Laboratory, and I believe that they have found the error, we have been copied into their reply to you also.
Further to their offer of free repeat testing for those affected, we can facilitate that through our website. All customers that have been affected by this will be contacted. I'll liaise with London Medical Laboratory directly to find those affected.
Best wishes,
Paul Harris.
Blue Horizon Medicals.
Gcart SeasideSusie Trufflebuggy RedApple
Following up those who might have been affected is, I feel, entirely appropriate and necessary.
Hopefully a good outcome thanks to you helvella Such a shame that Gcart was not taken seriously in the first place though. It should not need the involvement of an admin of a health forum to sort this out.
This really is a serious issue. Free repeat testing - surely not enough considering what Gcart says
I lowered my dose for one month and was symptomatic. I have yet to recover ........... paid the price for their error
Not the same but I remember when I was tweaking doses to find the right balance of Levo and T3, I reduced my Levo (just by 25mcg) which made my FT4 level plummet and after reinstating the original dose it took me just over a year to get back to where I was before. Hopefully Gcart recovers quickly.
Sorry to hear of your experience. Although I think that the reference range error has been fixed by London Medical Laboratory now, we are going to stop using this Laboratory whilst we fully investigate.
Can you please email me at paul.harris@bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk where I will be able to address the error in full. Please also accept my apologies for the apparent lack of communication from Blue Horizon to address your concerns.
We will also be contacting everybody that has been affected, reissuing the original results with the correct units and reference ranges, as well as offering those affected free repeat testing.
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