Studying reliability using identical handheld lactate analyzers

Accusport analyzers were used to generate lactate performance curves in an investigative laboratory activity emphasizing the importance of reliable instrumentation. Both the calibration and testing phases of the exercise provided students with a hands-on opportunity to use laboratory-grade instrumentation while allowing for meaningful connections to be made between data collection and analysis. Pairs of student teams tested individual aerobically trained participants exercising to voluntary exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. The analysis of four volunteers' postexercise blood samples revealed lactate data that, although highly correlated, showed small but statistically significant differences between devices. This laboratory activity provides a useful platform for introducing students to the reliability of instrumentation, in particular noting its relevance to designs employing repeated measures.