Performance evaluation and result comparison of the automated hematology analyzers Abbott CD 3700, Sysmex XE 2100 and Coulter LH 750 for cell counts in serous fluids.

Background: Automated hematology analyzers are used to perform cell counts in body fluids. However, little is known about how the results compare between different analyzers.

Methods: A single batch of serous fluid samples was used to evaluate the cell counting performance of 3 hematology analyzers: CD 3700, XE 2100, and LH 750. Two hundred and seventy four serous fluid samples were used to evaluate the accuracy of the analyzers and to compare the results between different analyzers.

Results: The precision and linearity of the 3 analyzers were acceptable for both white blood cell counts and red blood cell counts with a low carryover rate. The limits of detection for white blood cells with the CD 3700, XE 2100, and LH 750 analyzers were 0.033×10(9)/l, 0.07×10(9)/l, and 0.20×10(9)/l, respectively. Performing background counts had no influence on cell counts for any of the analyzers. For those samples over the limit of detection, there was agreement between the automated and manual counting methods. There were also reasonably comparable cell count results between the 3 analyzers.

Conclusions: When the serous fluid cell counts are over the limit of detection, the analyzers produce accurate test results. Additionally, the results are comparable between the 3 hematology analyzers.