Eight-parameter automated hematology analyzers: comparison of two flow cytometric systems.

The performance of two high-speed 8-parameter automated hematology analyzers (Coulter Counter S-plus and ELT-8) were compared with that of reference instruments (Coulter Counter S Sr and Technicon Autocounter). The precision, linearity, and lack of carry-over of both instruments were superior over that of existing equipment. The especially noteworthy feature of the instruments was their excellent performance in the range of extreme values of both white blood cells and platelets. This enhanced performance, and the fact that all presently known relevant hematologic parameters can be measured by a single instrument on a single sample, make the contribution of these two flow cytometric-based instruments a significant advance in the field of automated laboratory medicine.