[The new HemoCue system Hb 301 for the haemoglobin measurement in pregnant women]

The performance of the HemoCue apparatus in the diagnosis of anaemia in pregnancy was evaluated using the HemoCue Hb 301 and the HemoCue Hb 201+ apparatus. The HemoCue Hb 201 + was considered as the reference method in this study. Two hundred and thirty six pregnant women attending the University Teaching Hospital in Yaoundé (Cameroon) were included in the analysis. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin < 11 g/dL in pregnant women during the first and the third trimester of pregnancy and as <10. 5 g/dL during the second trimester of pregnancy. With the reference method, anaemia was present in 17.7% of pregnant women compared to 11% using the HemoCue 301 method. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the HemoCue 301 method were respectively 61.9%, 100%, 100% and 92.3%. A strong correlation was shown with a Pearson's coefficient of 0.98. Using the Bland and Altman method for assessing agreement between two methods, the 95% (+/- 2SD) distribution of Hb levels about the mean was not much spread (0.06 - 0.52) though it was positive, with slightly higher Hb levels in the HemoCue Hb 301 method, compared to the reference method. Considering the study of the precision, coefficient of variation of the two methods were similar. It may be concluded that the HemoCue Hb 301 method compared to the HemoCue Hb 201+ method has acceptable sensitivity and is very specific in the diagnosis of anaemia in the Cameroonian pregnant woman. Although it gives slightly higher values, it is precise and exact in measuring Hb levels.