Performance of the Radiometer ABL-90 FLEX Blood Gas Analyzer Compared With Similar Analyzers

Abstract

Science According to the International Standards Organization (ISO) 15189 quality standard, laboratories need to validate all the methods they use. To do so, the laboratory must verify that the representative characteristics of the analytical procedure meet the specifications for the implementation of the procedure. 1 If changing the analytical procedure leads to significantly different results or interpretation of these results, this should be documented and communicated in writing to the users of the laboratory services. 2 In the stat section of the clinical laboratory, every effort is made to minimize the turnaround time (ie, the time between specimen arrival and reported results). Therefore, when evaluating a method or analytic system, not only are the specifications of analytic quality considered but also the management and speed with which results are obtained. The ABL-90 FLEX analyzer (Radiometer Medical ApS, Brønshøj, Denmark) is an automated whole-blood gas analyzer with a wide range of parameters that allows us to increase our portfolio of services. The analyzer carries out a total of 27 determinations, measured directly or calculated, which include pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO 2), partial pressure of oxygen (pO 2), glucose (Glu), lactate (Lac), bilirubin (Bil), potassium (K +), chloride (Cl -), sodium (Na +), anion gap (GAP), ionized calcium (Ca 2+), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), fraction of carboxyhemoglobin of total Hb in blood (COHb), and fraction of methemoglobin of total Hb in blood (MetHb). We evaluated the performance of the ABL-90 FLEX blood gas analyzer, following the protocol recommended by the Spanish Society of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Pathology (SEQC) entitled " Selection and Evaluation of Analytic Systems. " 3 The quality specifications based ABSTRACT Background: The performance of the ABL-90 FLEX blood gas analyzer was evaluated and compared with that of the different analyzers currently used in the laboratory.