Whole-blood platelet counts with an impedance-type particle counter

The Clay-Adams Ultra-Flo 100 whole-blood platelet counter provides results that are accurate and precise for platelet counts greater than 20 x 10(9) per liter with virtually zero carryover from one specimen to the next. Comparison of results with those obtained by manual reference and Technicon Autocounter methods shows excellent correlation. The advantage of the Ultra-Flo 100 over the Technicon Autocounter lies in a smaller space requirement in the laboratory, a short start-up time, and minimal maintenance. This makes the Ultra-Flo 100 especially ideal for the stat laboratory. Operating costs of the Ultra-Flo 100 are comparable to those of other methods investigated, but rapid speed of operation has a significant effect on turnaround time.