Bridging the divide: Harmonizing polarized clinical laboratory medicine practices

In today's healthcare,clinical laboratory medicine stands as a cornerstone of patient care,providing vital diagnostic insights that inform decisions in disease management.Yet,within this crucial field,a dichotomy persists between two predominant models of laboratory testing to support clinical practice:point-of-care testing(PoCT)and central laboratory testing[1].This schism,while born of practical necessity and evolving technology,presents both opportunities and challenges that warrant closer examination.

Correlation between GEM Premier 3000 and Vitros5.1+5600, SYSMEX XN-9000 in Detecting Electrolytes and Red Blood Cell Volume

Objective: To explore the consistency and relevance of the results of the bedside rapid blood gas analyzer GEM premier 3000, the Vitros5.1+5600 biochemical immunoassay analyzer and the SYSMEX XN-9000 automatic blood cell analyzer in the central laboratory detecting serum potassium (K+), serumsodium (Na+), blood glucose (Glu), hemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cell volume (Hct). And to provide a reference for the accurate interpretation of the bedside blood gas analysis report. Method: Usually, ICU patients will be taken arterial blood gas, biochemical and blood samples through the arterial indwelling needle;at the same time patients’ potassium, serum sodium, blood glucose, hemoglobin and red blood cell volume will be detected. This study implemented paired t-test and correlation regression analysis on each group of data, and used the analysis quality requirements (allowable total error) of CLIA’88 proficiency testing program as the criteria for clinical acceptance. Results: The paired t-test showed that the serum potassium, serum sodium and blood glucose detected by GEM premier 3000 and Vitros5.1+5600 were significantly different;and the hemoglobin and red blood cell volume detected by GEM premier 3000 and SYSMEX XN-9000 were significantly different (P < 0.05). The Pearson correlation coefficients (r) of hemoglobin, red blood cell volume and red blood cell volume were 0.860, 0.886, 0.924, 0.841 and 0.856, respectively, and the above test items all had good correlations (P < 0.05). The average (SE) of the paired differences of K+, Na+, Glu, Hb and Hct detected by the two sets of instruments is less than the allowable error of CLIA’88, and the SE of blood Na+ and Hb is less than half of the allowable error of CLIA’88. Conclusion: The test results of GEM premier 3000, the central laboratory Vitros5.1+5600 and SYSMEX XN-9000 have good correlation, but the consistency is not good. The test results of GEM premier 3000 cannot replace the central laboratory.