Evaluation of the Cell-Dyn 1600 in an outpatient laboratory.

An evaluation of the Cell-Dyn 1600 hematology analyzer (Sequoia-Turner Corporation; Mountain View, CA) was performed in an outpatient laboratory in British Columbia, Canada, to assess the analytic performance and the ease of use of the instrument. The Cell-Dyn 1600 is a three-part differential, 18-analyte instrument that requires only 30 muL of whole blood for complete analysis. It is a compact instrument with an impressive data-management package that is remarkably easy to use. The correlation study was performed using a Coulter S880 (Coulter Electronics, Hialeah, Florida) and manual differentials. Precision, carry-over, and linearity values for the Cell-Dyn provided results well within manufacturer's specifications. The two instruments correlated well as did the granulocyte and lymphocyte population comparisons. The mid-cell correlation was consistent with other studies assessing three-part differentials. Overall the Cell-Dyn 1600 is a good choice for any small or medium-sized laboratory.