An evaluation of the Monarch chemistry analyser

The Monarch Chemistry system, a centrifugal analyser incorporating sophisticated robotics for analytical rotor transfer and flexible software for workload scheduling, has been evaluated. The optical system is capable of monitoring absorbance, fluorescence and light scattering reactions. In addition, an ion selective electrode unit may be incorporated for the measurement of sodium, potassium and chloride. The precision, accuracy, linearity, calibration stability and carry-over were investigated for 19 routine chemistries. The within-batch and between-day precision data were good in the majority of cases; some chemistries demonstrated poor performance at low analyte concentrations. Method comparison studies showed good agreement, with small discrepancies being due to different calibration material and methodological differences. Major discrepancies were found with CK and LD; linearity studies were good in all cases, except calcium. No significant sample or reagent carry-over was found. Assessment of throughput for a variety of test profiles varied between 300 and 605 tests per hour. The instrument was easy to operate, very flexible and capable of handling a large and varied workload.