Dynamic profiles and predictive values of some biochemical and haematological quantities in COVID-19 inpatients.

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in some hospitalized patients has shown some important alterations in laboratory tests. The aim of this study was to establish the most relevant quantities associated with the worst prognosis related to COVID-19.

Materials And Methods: This was a descriptive, longitudinal, observational and retrospective study, in a cohort of 845 adult inpatients from Bellvitge University Hospital (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain).

Survey on Stat Tests in Catalan Clinical Laboratories.

Introduction: The Catalan Association of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (ACCLC) conducted a survey on the vast majority of hospital clinical laboratories in Catalonia. In order to establish a debate on the emergency laboratories and aspects related to the stat tests.

Materials And Methods: An online survey was distributed by ACCLC to 69 hospital laboratories in Catalonia.

Stability of pH, Blood Gas Partial Pressure, Hemoglobin Oxygen Saturation Fraction, and Lactate Concentration.

Background: The storage temperature and time of blood gas samples collected in syringes constitute preanalytical variables that could affect blood gas or lactate concentration measurement results. We analyzed the effect of storage temperature and time delay on arterial or venous blood gas stability related to pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and oxygen (pO2), hemoglobin oxygen saturation (sO2), and lactate concentration.

Methods: In total, 1,200 arterial and venous blood sample syringes were analyzed within 10 minutes of collection.

Critical Issues and New Trends on Stat Tests in Clinical Laboratory.

The IX European Symposium of the Clinical Laboratory and In Vitro Diagnostics Industry, entitled "Stat Tests in Clinical laboratory", took place in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain), between May 17-18, 2017. The scientific program was structured in several round-tables that dealt with the following topics: emergency laboratory models, accreditation of stat tests by ISO 15189, critical issues of stat tests and the new proposals of the in vitro diagnostics industry for emergency laboratories. The aim of the Symposium was the discussion of the transformation that stat tests have generated on clinical laboratories in terms of organization, turnaround time, accreditation, and probable evolution of these laboratories coming years.

Analysis of laboratory critical values at a referral Spanish tertiary university hospital.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyse critical value data from our laboratory and compare our critical value reporting policy with others in the literature.

Materials And Methods: Analysis of critical values was performed on data obtained over a 6-month period in a tertiary university hospital.

Results: We identified 5723 critical values, of which approximately 80% came from STAT testing (4577), 15% from routine inpatients testing (884) and 5% from routine outpatients testing (262).

Reference intervals for a complete blood count on an automated haematology analyser Sysmex XN in healthy adults from the southern metropolitan area of Barcelona.

Background: The examination of peripheral blood is routinely used as a basic test in daily medical practice. Reliable reference intervals are necessary to avoid misdiagnoses, and the establishment of those intervals is an important task for clinical laboratories.The aim of the present study was to establish the reference intervals for complete blood count (CBC) on a Sysmex XN haematology analyser in healthy adults from the southern metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain).

Reference interval for immature platelet fraction on Sysmex XN haematology analyser in adult population.

Introduction: The Sysmex XN-series haematology analyser has newly adopted a fluorescent channel to measure immature platelet fraction (IPF). To promote the clinical utility of this promising parameter, establishing a reliable reference interval is mandatory. According to previous studies, IPF values may be affected by the employed analyser and the ethnic background of the individual, but no differences seem to be found between individuals' genders.

Estimation of Alert and Change Limits of Haematological Quantities and its Application in the Plausibility Control.

Introduction: In the process of quality assurance of the measured values of the clinical laboratory, one of the purposes is to perform the validation of patients' measured values in the most objective way. This validation process is called plausibility control which may be defined as the set of procedures used to decide if a patient's measured value is valid according to established clinical and biological criteria. The aim of this study is to propose a model to estimate alert and change limits of measured values of the blood cell count, to be applied to detect doubtful patients' measured values.

Measurement uncertainty in manual differential leukocyte counting.

Background: One of the most frequently requested examinations in the clinical laboratory is the differential leukocyte count. Despite many technological improvements, thousands of differential leukocyte counts are made by microscopic examination of a blood smear, counting 100 leukocytes and expressing the fraction of the specific leukocyte types as percentages (rounded to integer values) of the total leukocyte count. Although in the clinical laboratory it is not usual practice to report measurement uncertainties, currently the ISO 15189 standard considers measurement uncertainty as a very helpful element for a comprehensive interpretation of any measurement result.

Pre-analytical variation of some haematological quantities.

Background: It is customary to assume that pre-analytical variation is negligible if all pre-analytical sources of variation have been standardised. The aim of this study was to quantify the pre-analytical variation of some haematological quantities frequently measured in clinical laboratories.

Methods: The experimental design considers different sources of pre-analytical variation that usually occur day-to-day for samples from patients.

Guideline for the production of multicentre physiological reference values using the same measurement system. A proposal of the Catalan Association for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

This article is intended as a guide for the production of biological reference values of healthy people (physiological reference values) by several clinical laboratories using the same measurement system. This guide is a proposal from the Catalan Association of Clinical Laboratory Sciences to be applied worldwide at a regional level. This guide makes it possible for all clinical laboratories in a region using the same measurement system to adopt the same physiological reference limits.