Establishment of canine hematology reference intervals for the Sysmex XT-2000iV hematology analyzer using a blood donor database.

BACKGROUND

The Sysmex XT-2000iV is a hematology analyzer that combines impedance and optical techniques and has been previously validated for dogs. Specific reference intervals (RIs) are useful when interpreting results.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine hematologic RIs for the Sysmex XT-2000iV using a large reference population of client-owned clinically healthy blood donor dogs, adopting an indirect sampling method.

METHODS

Dogs were screened for breed, size, health, travel history, and previous blood transfusions, and the quality of blood specimens was also reviewed. Results from specimens that met inclusion criteria were used to determine RIs using a nonparametric method. Specimens from Akitas and sighthounds were excluded from the study.

RESULTS

Of 992 specimens that had been collected from blood donors and analyzed, 297 were initially included in the RI study. An additional 38 specimens were excluded as outliers, and hematologic RIs for the Sysmex XT-2000iV were based on analysis of specimens from 259 clinically healthy dogs. Measurands evaluated had variable distributions, and intervals obtained were generally comparable to previously reported RIs. Differences observed included higher lower and upper reference limits (LRL and URL, respectively) for MCV and lower URL for WBC count. Reticulocyte count and the LRL of the absolute lymphocyte count were also higher than previously reported, and the RI for platelet count was narrower and lower.

CONCLUSIONS

Canine RIs for the Sysmex hematology analyzer were established using an indirect sampling method with reference individuals selected from a large database of client-owned clinically healthy blood donor dogs. For specimens included in this study, time from collection to analysis was similar to what veterinary commercial laboratories experience.