Preanalytical Factors Affect HemoCue Hemoglobin Measurements Differently Between Models
A head-to-head comparison of the HemoCue Hb-201+ and Hb-301 revealed the Hb-301 reads 2.6% higher, with results drifting upward 1.3% per minute of delayed reading. While the Hb-301 better withstood high humidity, the Hb-201+ tolerated longer delays between sample collection and measurement. These model-specific biases have direct implications for anaemia prevalence estimates in field surveys.
The original study
Effects of preanalytical factors on hemoglobin measurement: A comparison of two HemoCue® point-of-care analyzers.
- Authors
- Whitehead RD, Zhang M, Sternberg MR, Schleicher RL, Drammeh B, Mapango C, et al.
- Journal
- Clinical biochemistry
- Type
- Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article
- PMID
- 28412284
Original abstract
BACKGROUND: In field studies, hemoglobin (Hb) is often measured using a battery-operated, portable HemoCue® hemoglobinometer. METHODS: We compared the performance of 2 HemoCue® models (Hb-201+ and Hb-301) and investigated effects of preanalytical factors on Hb results by simulating unfavorable field conditions. RESULTS: The Hb-301 produced 2.6% higher results compared to the Hb-201+. Hb had to be measured within 1min of filling the Hb-301 cuvette to avoid artificially elevated concentrations (1.3% per min). The Hb-301 cuvettes withstood elevated temperature (37°C) and humidity (72%) for 3weeks, while the Hb-201+ cuvettes degraded within 10min under those conditions. Both cuvette types withstood elevated temperature for 3weeks. Properly-collected venous and capillary blood produced comparable results. Pooled capillary blood produced comparable results to the second and third but not the fourth drop of blood (3.3% lower). Blood could be stored for ≤4days at 10-30°C before Hb-201+ measurement, but only for 1day at 10-23°C before Hb-301 measurement (≤1% change in Hb). CONCLUSIONS: Higher Hb results obtained with the Hb-301 may influence the interpretation of anemia prevalence in health surveys. While the Hb-301 performed better in high humidity conditions, the Hb-201+ provided more user flexibility regarding delayed Hb reading.