The platelet count accuracy of platelet concentrates obtained by using automated analysis is influenced by instrument bias and activated platelet components

• Published in: Vox sanguinis Vol. 87; no. 3; pp. 196 - 203
• Main Authors: Hervig, T., Haugen, T., Liseth, K., Kjeldsen-Kragh, J., Scott, C. S., Johannessen, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-10-2004
• Subjects: activated platelets; Analysis of Variance; Bias; Electric Impedance; Humans; immunoplatelet analysis; Norway; Optics and Photonics; platelet concentrates; Platelet Count - instrumentation; Platelet Count - methods; Platelet Count - standards; Platelet Count - statistics & numerical data; platelet counting; Platelet Transfusion; Quality Control
• ISSN: 0042-9007; 1423-0410
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1423-0410.2004.00557.x

Background and Objectives  The blood platelet content (in numbers) of platelet concentrates is required for production quality control and to predict clinical responses.
Materials and Methods  This study compared the performance of automated counting from impedance and optical instruments to data from immunoplatelet reference analysis.
Results  All methods showed good linearity with evidence of significant instrument‐specific deviations from the line of agreement. Relational formulae largely corrected bias, but did not resolve platelet count variability. A second confounding factor, related to the proportion of small (activated) platelets, was also shown to contribute to intermethod discrepancies.
Conclusions  Blood processing centres should establish correction factors for each instrument compared to reference methods, such as the immunoplatelet count.