An evaluation of the Technicon H6000 haematology system

The Technicon H6000 haematology system combines haemoglobinometry with cell counting including differential counts of leucocytes. Evaluation confirmed it to be safe, precise and free from carry-over of practical significance. Comparability with standard reference methods showed a difference with mean cell volume (MCV) and packed cell volume (PCV) but the haemoglobin, red cell count and mean haemoglobin concentration (MCH) were comparable. Total white cell counts and differential counts were comparable apart from eosinophils and basophils. Platelet counts were higher at both ends of the range. Throughput was confirmed at 90 samples per hour. The system was shown to be cost-effective when taking into consideration staff costs, materials and maintenance but expensive with regard to materials alone.