Full Blood Count Estimation Using Abbott Cell-Dyn Ruby 5-Parts in Comparison with Boule Medonic M-Series 3-Parts Differential Haematology Analyser

Abstract

Full Blood Count (FBC) is a significant laboratory investigation often requested in clinical care and trials; laboratories should have comparable alternative methods for this test to ensure uninterrupted services. This study evaluated to what extent the Abbott CELL-DYN Ruby and Boule Medonic M-series haematology analysers can be used interchangeably. Using 110 leftover EDTA blood samples to test twelve haematological parameters, correlations and bias between the two analysers for each blood parameter were determined by plotting Passing & Bablok and Bland-Altman's plots respectively. The two analysers were assessed comparable for a test when the bias with the 95% CI falls within the clinically acceptable limits which had been defined a priori. All the twelve FBC parameters showed strong positive correlations between the measurements from the two analysers. The measurements on both analysers however showed some bias for all the parameters evaluated except Red Blood Cells (RBC), whose bias was 0.00 x 10-12/L (-0.01, 0.02). The observed biases met the acceptance criteria, except Haematocrit (HCT), Mean Cell Volume (MCV) and Lymphocytes -% (Lym-%). Abbott CELL-DYN Ruby and Boule Medonic M-series haematology analysers are comparable for Haemoglobin (HGB), White Blood Cell Count (WBC), RBC, Platelets (PLT), Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), Mean Platelets Volume (MPV) and Lymphocytes -Absolute (Lym-Abs), but not for HCT, MCV, and LYM which will require interpreting results using equipment-specific reference intervals. The results of this study may help laboratories and clinics in selecting comparable methods for FBC. Moreover, the two study analysers have closed sampling facilities which make them safe for handling suspected infectious samples, as contact with personnel is minimal.