Results of the multicenter evaluation of the CEDIA Phenytoin assay.

Thirteen clinical evaluation sites in Europe and U.S.A. investigated the CEDIA Phenytoin assay on Boehringer Mannheim/Hitachi analyzers with respect to imprecision, recovery of control sera, interlaboratory survey, linearity and method comparisons using patient samples. The linear dose-response relationship up to 40 micrograms/mL was confirmed by all participants. Imprecision at therapeutic analyte concentrations equalled that of other routine methods. Recovery of controls was found in a +/- 6% range for target values assigned by the CEDIA assay. The good interlaboratory transferability of the CEDIA assay was confirmed with control material and human samples. The reconstituted reagent can be used up to one month using weekly recalibration. In method comparison studies good correlations to other routine methods were obtained. Results in analyte-free human sera did not deviate systematically from the zero-point. Thus, the accuracy in patient sera has been shown for the CEDIA Phenytoin assay.