The new hematology analyzer Sysmex XE-2100: performance evaluation of a novel white blood cell differential technology.

CONTEXT: The new hematology analyzer Sysmex XE-2100 (TOA Medical Electronics, Kobe, Japan) has a novel, combined, white blood cell differential technology and a special reagent system to enumerate nucleated red blood cells. DESIGN: Performance evaluation of both technologies of the Sysmex XE-2100 according to the H20-A protocol of the National Committee for Clinical and Laboratory Standards and comparison of the results with those for the hematology analyzer Sysmex NE-8000 (TOA Medical Electronics). SPECIMENS: Five hundred forty-four blood samples randomly chosen from various inpatient and outpatient departments of the Vienna University hospital. RESULTS: Five-part white blood cell differential counts on the XE-2100 revealed excellent correlation with the manual reference method for neutrophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils (r =.925,.922, and.877, respectively) and good correlation for monocytes and basophils (r =.756 and.763, respectively). The efficiency rates of flagging for the presence of >/=1% abnormal white blood cells were 83% (XE-2100) and 66% (NE-8000). The correlation of automated and microscopic nucleated red blood cell counts was excellent (r =.97). CONCLUSIONS: From the present evaluation and our former experience with other types of Sysmex analyzers, we conclude that the new white blood cell differential technology of the XE-2100 represents a further development toward more efficient flagging of abnormal white blood cells.