Analytical and operational considerations of measuring glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity using a fully automated assay.

Objectives: This study determined the performance characteristics of a quantitative glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) assay with automated lysis and evaluated the robustness of the operational workflow following implementation in a hospital laboratory.

Methods: The G6PD activity was measured in whole blood using an enzymatic quantitative test on a Roche cobas c501 analyzer with onboard lysis configuration and normalized to hemoglobin (Hb). The performance characteristics of the method and stability of G6PD in whole blood collected in EDTA-containing tubes were evaluated, and the reference interval was established on a population of healthy individuals (n = 279). The robustness of this automated workflow for sample lysis was evaluated during validation and after implementation for routine clinical use for 18 months and in 2,181 patients.

Results: The G6PD assay was linear from 0.7 to 16.5 U/g Hb. Inter- and intra-assay precision using control and patient samples was below 12%. The G6PD results correlated well with a reference laboratory method (r = 0.96, y = 0.9615x - 1.222). The reference interval in our population was 9.8 to 15.5 U/g Hb. There were no interferences by lipemia and icteria, although grossly hemolyzed specimens may be affected. The testing workflow requires analyzing samples within minutes from mixing and loading into the instrument to avoid sample sedimentation. Measures to repeat samples with Hb 8.0 g/dL or less identified sedimented samples. In our patient population, 10.6% and 5.8% of the total males and females tested were G6PD deficient, respectively.

Conclusions: The G6PD assay with automated lysis is acceptable for patient testing. Several measures ensured the robustness of this workflow in a hospital laboratory.