B-014 Impact of Centrifugation Time Reduction in Laboratory Automation System

Abstract

Abstract Background The centrifugation of specimens is an important preanalytical process which will be impact the most on turnaround time of the laboratory results. To verify the automation systems, we tested different combinations of tube and centrifugation settings to determine the most efficient for routine chemistry procedure. The outcomes of each combination were then compared to the benchmark to find out the best setting to reduce turnaround time for laboratory results. Methods In this study, we evaluated a total of 40 leftover blood samples that were collected on 4 mL plastic Vacutainer® (Becton Dickinson) lithium heparin tubes and 2 mL plastic Vacuette® (Greiner bio-one) lithium heparin tubes. All tubes were centrifuged on Abbott Automation GLP systems. The first set of samples was centrifuged according to the manufacturer’s guideline (10 min at 1300 × g, room temperature for Vacutainer® tubes and 10 min at 2200 × g, room temperature for Vacuette® tubes). The second set was centrifuged 7 min at 2700 × g, room temperature. And the third set was centrifuged 5 min at 2700 × g, room temperature. Then, analyzed all samples with 22 routine chemistry parameters on Alinity ci analyzers. The allowable total error and correlation coefficient (R) were used to determine the significance of the differences between 3 protocols of the centrifugation time. Results The study showed that the centrifugation times of 7 min and 5 min were not significantly different from the manufacturer’s protocol (10 min) after testing with 22 routine chemistry parameters (albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, calcium, chloride, cholesterol, creatinine, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, iron, potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, sodium, phosphorus, total protein, triglycerides, unsaturated iron-binding capacity, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, urea nitrogen and uric acid) in both 4 mL plastic Vacutainer® lithium heparin tubes and 2 mL plastic Vacuette® lithium heparin tubes. Overall, the results of the study indicate that shorter centrifugation times of 7 min and 5 min at 2700 × g able to use for routine chemistry. Conclusion The study concluded that the centrifugation time did not affect the analytical results of 22 routine chemistry parameters. This suggests that shorter centrifugation times able to use with no impact on accuracy or reliability. The results of the study will support laboratory to have efficiency improvements by shorten the turnaround time on the results release.