A simple, inexpensive quality control material for ortho ELT-8 platelet counts

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate platelet counting is crucial for diagnosing and managing various medical conditions.
• Existing quality control methods can be expensive or complex.
• There is a need for simple, cost-effective quality control materials for platelet counters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of polystyrene latex microsphere suspensions as quality control materials for the Ortho ELT-8 platelet counter.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness and simplicity of using these microspheres.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing 1 µm diameter polystyrene latex microsphere suspensions at dilutions of 1:600 and 1:3000.
• Performing quality control assessments over a 12-week period.
• Measuring the coefficient of variation (CV) at different platelet count levels (350 x 10^9/l and 70 x 10^9/l).

Main Results:

• The coefficient of variation (CV) at the 350 x 10^9/l level was 2.2% over 12 weeks.
• The CV at the 70 x 10^9/l level was 3.5%.
• Performance was comparable to a commercial quality control material.

Conclusions:

• Polystyrene latex microsphere suspensions are simple, inexpensive, and effective materials for the quality control of Ortho ELT-8 platelet counts.
• These microspheres provide reliable and reproducible results, offering a viable alternative to commercial controls.
• The study demonstrates the potential of these materials for routine laboratory use in hematology quality assurance.