The granulocyte count of the ABX Micros ES60 three-part differential haematology analyser has been shown to correlate well with the neutrophil count of a five-part analyser in the absence of flagging.
This has been confirmed by a recent study undertaken by scientists at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff in collaboration with Horiba Medical specialists.
The neutrophil count is a key parameter in determining treatment outcomes with regards to chemotherapy, for both oncology and haematology patients as well as for some other drug therapies such as Clozapine.
The use of point-of-care testing (POCT) to make rapid treatment decisions is becoming increasingly popular in order to achieve greater efficiency and to improve patient pathways.
The ABX Micros ES60 analyser from Horiba Medical provides a fast, laboratory-standard full blood count, with a three-part differential in a variety of POCT settings.
Combining a small footprint with CPA compliance, it is ideal for use within the POCT environment.
The ABX Micros ES60 produces a granulocyte count consisting of neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils as part of the three-part impedance differential.
The neutrophils make up more than 95 per cent of the granulocyte population and therefore the granulocyte count from the ABX Micros ES60 should correlate well with a neutrophil count from a five-part differential analyser, provided that there are no flags alerting the operator of elevated eosinophil or basophil populations.
The study examined the correlation between the neutrophil count from a five-part differential analyser and the granulocyte count from the ABX Micros ES60.
The results of the study showed an excellent correlation (R = 0.9885) between the granulocyte count from the ABX Micros ES60 and the neutrophil count from the five-part differential analyser.
This suggests that the ABX Micros ES60 granulocyte count can be taken as the neutrophil count in therapeutic drug monitoring, as long as no M2 alarms are triggered.