Evaluation of a Point-of-Care Blood Analyzer for Use in Determination of Select Hematological Indices in the Seminole Killifish

Abstract

Abstract Conventional methodologies for hematological analysis are gradually being replaced with new technologies. Point-of-care blood analyzers are both efficient and user friendly. As the use of such technologies becomes more pervasive in current literature, investigations into the accuracy and reliability of point-of-care analyzers for evaluating fish hematological indices are warranted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a point-of-care blood analyzer (i-STAT®) and chosen cartridge (E3+) against conventionally accepted instrumentation (CAI) for use in determination of hematocrit, sodium, potassium, and chloride values in Seminole killifish Fundulus seminolis. Whole blood, a whole-blood heparin dilution, and undiluted plasma were analyzed in the point-of-care unit to determine hematological parameters of interest. The Bland–Altman method for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement was used as well as calculations of correlation coefficients and two-tailed paired Student's t-tests. Generally, mean values obtained from CAI were higher than those from the i-STAT using whole blood, heparin-diluted blood, and plasma. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) were observed between all means analyzed by t-tests. When compared with CAI results, none of the blood index values generated by the i-STAT in these experiments could be considered reliable.