Investigation of the performance of the ES 600 Enzymun-Test system. A multicentre study

The ES 600 sample-selective multibatch analyser was subjected to a multicentre evaluation in six laboratories in accordance with ECCLS guide-lines. During the 3-month trial, five Enzymun-Test diagnostics (T4, TBG, Digoxin, CEA and TSH)1) were measured at 25 degrees C. The study yielded the following results: 1. The within-series and between-series precision were very good, with mean CV's of approx. 3% and 7% respectively. 2. Recovery of the target values for three control sera was in the range +/- 5%. 3. A trend in measurements did not occur in any of the methods investigated (for series of over 240 determinations). 4. Comparison of the results with those obtained on the ES 22 Enzymun-Test system showed good agreement. 5. Within the measuring range defined by the standards, no deviations could be ascertained upon dilution of the samples. 6. Total carry-over in the instrument was below 0.05%. From studies with instruments from the first production series, it became evident that modifications were necessary to improve the reliability. A follow-up measuring programme confirmed a clear improvement in reliability and a reduction in the imprecision, particularly for results from series to series.