People who take blood have been warned not to get the patient to tightly clench their fist during the procedure.
UK researchers who examined 200,000 blood test results found clenching then relaxing the fist could raise potassium levels, potentially confusing results.
Raised potassium levels can indicate kidney or heart problems, the Annals of Clinical Biochemistry study said.
A UK expert said clenching was an outdated practice and staff taking blood should not ask patients to do so.
'Hit or miss'Vanessa Thurlow, a biochemistry expert and co-author of the report, first noticed a problem when GPs were questioning test results for a small number of patients.
When she retested them, their potassium levels were normal - but they had all started to clench their fists before the test. source: BBC News
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