NPS Phlebotomy Practice Exam

Hemolysis means red blood cells have broken open, releasing hemoglobin into the plasma. That free hemoglobin shifts the plasma color from its normal pale yellow to pink, and with more hemolysis it can look red. So the typical appearance for a hemolyzed sample is pink (and can be red if hemolysis is extensive). Other plasma colors signal different issues: lipemia makes plasma look milky white, icterus gives a yellow hue, and normal plasma remains straw-colored. Gray is not a usual result of hemolysis.