Performance evaluation of optical platelet counting of BC-6000Plus automated hematology analyzer

BACKGROUND: The BC-6000Plus (Mindray, Shenzhen, China) is a recently developed hematology analyzer that utilizes fluorescent technology. Based on fluorescent nucleic acid stain and optical detection, the optical platelet counting (PLT-O) on the BC-6000Plus has strong anti-interference potential in platelet (PLT) detection. Its Auto 8×PLT-O Counting Tech can be automatically triggered in low-PLT samples, which enables the PLT-O on the BC-6000Plus to count low PLT more efficiently. Here, we evaluated the performance of the BC-6000Plus automated hematology analyzer in optical PLT counting. METHODS: The basic features (including blank counting, carryover, trueness, and accuracy) of the BC-6000Plus for PLT counting were evaluated according to the Analytical Quality Specifications for Routine Tests in Clinical Hematology (WST 406-2012). Low-PLT samples with a PLT count of below 100×10(9)/L were selected for repeatability tests. Meanwhile, the potential correlations of BC-6000Plus with the XN-L 350 and manual microscopy within different PLT ranges or under interferences of small red blood cells (RBCs) or PLT aggregation were analyzed. RESULTS: The PLT-O on BC-6000Plus met the technical requirements of PLT counting in terms of blank count, carryover, trueness, and accuracy. The repeatability of the enhanced mode (PLT-O 8×) on the BC-6000Plus was better than that of the XN-L 350 in three low PLT count ranges, including 10–20, 20–60, and 60–100 (×10(9)/L). Under the interference-free conditions, the BC-6000Plus correlated well with the XN-L 350 in different PLT counting ranges. Under the interferences of small RBCs and PLT aggregation, the PLT-O on BC-6000Plus correlated better with microscopy than with the platelet impedance count (PLT-I). CONCLUSIONS: The PLT-O on BC-6000Plus can meet the technical requirements of PLT counting in terms of blank counting, carryover rate, trueness, and accuracy. The PLT-O 8× has good repeatability, correlates well with the XN-L 350, and demonstrates good anti-interference ability. It can thus meet the needs of blood cell analysis in clinical settings.