Hematological and iron-related analytes--reference data for persons aged 1 year and over: United States, 1988-94.

Objectives: This report presents national estimates of hematologic and iron-related analytes for persons 1 year of age and over, by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Methods: The analysis is based on data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) (1988-94), which was designed to provide information on the health and nutritional status of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S.

Complete blood count reference interval diagrams derived from NHANES III: stratification by age, sex, and race.

Background: Comprehensive, up-to-date "health-associated" reference interval studies of North American populations are uncommon. The third US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) was concluded in 1994 and yielded important reference interval data.

Objective: To obtain health-associated Coulter counter reference interval data from NHANES III according to age, sex, and race.

International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) recommendations for "surrogate reference" method for the packed cell volume.

The spun packed cell volume (PCV, hematocrit) is a key measurement on which are based hematology instrument calibration, reference range determination, and assignment of values to calibrators/controls. In 2001, the International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) recommended a Reference PCV method, which is fully traceable to the ICSH reference hemoglobin method. Because of its complexity, however, this method is impractical for occasional use in routine laboratories and is therefore intended primarily for use by manufacturers of capillary microhematocrit tubes, liquid calibrators, and multichannel analyzers.

An interlaboratory study of a candidate reference method for platelet counting.

A multinational interlaboratory task force explored the important variables of platelet reference counting and developed a candidate flow cytometric reference method based on the RBC/platelet ratio. A multicenter comparison was performed to determine whether the method met the necessary criteria and was precise enough to be recommended as a new reference method. Each laboratory analyzed serial dilutions of normal specimens, stabilized material, and at least 60 patient specimens with a range of platelet counts from 1 to 400 x 10(3)/microL (1-400 x 10(9)/L).