Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Soon after installation of their new HORIBA ABX Pentra DX 120 and DF 120 haematology analysers at Bronglais District General Hospital in Aberystwyth, the reliability of these high throughput analysers was highlighted. Following heavy snow falls in the large rural catchment area for this hospital, many blood samples taken at remote surgeries took up to five days to reach the laboratory. Despite such extended storage periods, automatic differentials were obtained on the new analysers which could not be achieved by manual ones, as the cells fragmented when spread on a slide for viewing. This saved many patients from having to have another sample taken and tested**.

This extreme reliability of the automatic white blood cell differentials delivered by the new HORIBA ABX analysers was an added bonus for laboratory staff within the Ceredigion and Mid-Wales NHS Trust when they replaced their aging haematology analysers. “Due to Aberystwyth’s isolated location and an ever increasing workload, we had to ensure that we had dependable analysers that would require minimal maintenance call outs,” explained Anita Worthing, Chief Biomedical Scientist at the Trust. “We chose to install the ABX Pentra DX 120 and DF 120 because of their reputation for reliability. On the rare occasion that we have had to contact them since installation, HORIBA ABX support and maintenance teams have been excellent and in most cases any issues have been resolved remotely.”

Of its workload of over 70,000 samples per year, around 50% comes from GP practices, many of which may be very remote to the hospital laboratory due to the rugged Welsh surrounds. “We had heard of the HORIBA ABX analysers’ reputation to be able to cope with aged samples so, given the distance that some of our samples have to travel, this was certainly a further consideration in the selection process for new analysers,” continued Anita Worthing. “However, we hadn’t expected to put this ability to the test so soon after their installation, nor had we expected them to cope with quite such aged samples!”

“We were also extremely confident that our technology was the best for dealing with aged samples, but dependable results after five days is fantastic!” said Cleve Wright, General Manager, HORIBA ABX UK.

**Full validation could not be performed at the time but the differentials were accepted, subject to a disclaimer on the report, on the basis of: the scatterplot; clinical detail; and previous results on these patients.