Performance evaluation of the Abbott CELL-DYN Emerald for use as a bench-top analyzer in a research setting T.-L. KHOO* , † , ‡ , N. XIROS ‡ , F. GUAN* † , D. ORELLANA ‡ , J. HOLST* † , D. E. JOSHUA † , ‡ , J. E. J. RASKO* ,†,‡,§ *Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program, Centenary Institute, Camperdown, NSW, Australia † Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia ‡ Institute of Haematology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, Australia § Cell and Molecular Therapies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, Australia Correspondence: John E. J. Rasko, Locked Bag 6, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia. Tel.: +61 2 9565 6156; Fax: +61 2 9565 6101; E-mail: j.rasko@centenary.org.au. doi:10.1111/ijlh.12040 Received 31 July 2012; accepted for publication 17 October 2012 Keywords Analytical performance, automated hematology analyzer, CELL-DYN Emerald, human full blood count, mouse full blood count SUMMARY Introduction: The CELL-DYN Emerald is a compact bench-top hema- tology analyzer that can be used for a three-part white cell differ- ential analysis. To determine its utility for analysis of human and mouse samples, we evaluated this machine against the larger CELL-DYN Sapphire and Sysmex XT2000iV hematology analyzers. Methods: 120 human (normal and abnormal) and 30 mouse (nor- mal and abnormal) samples were analyzed on both the CELL-DYN Emerald and CELL-DYN Sapphire or Sysmex XT2000iV analyzers. For mouse samples, the CELL-DYN Emerald analyzer required manual recalibration based on the histogram populations. Results: Analysis of the CELL-DYN Emerald showed excellent preci- sion, within accepted ranges (white cell count CV% = 2.09%; hemoglobin CV% = 1.68%; platelets CV% = 4.13%). Linearity was excellent (R 2  0.99), carryover was minimal (<1%), and overall interinstrument agreement was acceptable for both human and mouse samples. Comparison between the CELL-DYN Emerald and Sapphire analyzers for human samples or Sysmex XT2000iV analyzer for mouse samples showed excellent correlation for all parameters. Conclusion: The CELL-DYN Emerald was generally comparable to the larger reference analyzer for both human and mouse samples. It would be suitable for use in satellite research laboratories or as a backup system in larger laboratories. INTRODUCTION Automated hematology analyzers have become inte- gral in modern hematology laboratories, with their ability to handle a large volume of specimens efficiently. They generally exhibit good accuracy, precision, and a fast turnaround time. Relatively few performance differences between instruments are observed in the analysis of ‘normal’ samples [1], but variations become more pronounced when there are ‘abnormal’ populations, for example immature granu- locytes and nucleated red blood cells. However, the complexity, size, and cost of large instruments may limit their use in a point of care setting, such as in the emergency department, intensive care units, and out- patient clinics that do not require a high-throughput © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Int. Jnl. Lab. Hem. 2013, 35, 447–456 447 ORIGINAL ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY International Journal of Laboratory Hematology The Official journal of the International Society for Laboratory Hematology