The knowledge about the pathophysiological changes that accompany the health-disease process reached by the medical sciences during the second half of the 20th century was vertiginous. This translated for the clinical laboratory branch, in the emergence and placement in the hands of its professionals, of an increasing number of determinations aimed at complementing the physical examination and medical interrogation, to finally establish a diagnosis.
The application of mechanization and subsequent automation of analytical work, considerably increased the processing potential of the multidisciplinary clinical laboratory and allowed for a greater number of determinations in less time, increasing the quality indicators (precision and accuracy) to figures never before achieved through manual work, the significant decrease in costs and the shortening in the times of delivery of the results to the client (doctors and patients). Hematology, as one of the main lines of work of the clinical laboratory, did not remain oblivious to the development of automation and increased its diagnostic potentials with the emergence and improvement of hematological meters or analyzers.
What is your history?
The first automatic cell counter was created in 1956, after the Second World War, due to the shortage of qualified personnel, the increase in the workload and the need in hematology laboratories to offer a more and more cellular count Reliable and fast, this was designed using the models created in previous years. This represented the birth of the first Coulter model A counter.
And actually?
At present, hematological counters have significantly increased the analysis capacity and present extensive menus of determinations, high electronic-mechanical complexity and greater productivity in sample processing.
The influence of technological development on cell meters has enabled the emergence of a great diversity of models. However, all these devices exhibit a similar mechanical and electronic design.
What are the basic components of a hematological counter?
- Diluent: system that reduces the concentration of blood cells and suspends them in isotonic conductive solutions to adapt it to the measurement capabilities of the device.
- Vacuum cleaner: system that takes the diluted sample and conducts it to the measuring device.
- Fluid system: transports the cell suspensions to the measuring device or the counting chamber.
- Counting chamber or measuring device: it constitutes the central part or sensitive area of the equipment, where optical, electrical or both phenomena occur, measured later.
- Transducer or detector: these are the devices that generate electrical pulses linearly when the cells pass the sensitive, optical or electrical zone of the equipment.
- Discriminator: discriminates the electrical pulses generated by the transducers in correspondence with the measured cell type.
- Amplifier: amplifies the electrical signal that leaves the discriminator for further processing.
- Analog-digital converter: converts electrical signals into digital.
- Computer: processes the digital signals and converts them into data that will be displayed on the screen and can be printed.
What is the blood count?
A hemogram or hematological analysis reflects all the elements or components of the blood, reflecting its number or its proportion in the individual. In this analysis, the white or leukocyte series, the red or erythrocyte series and platelets are measured. The blood count is one of the most frequently requested laboratory tests and is part of the basic study required for diagnostic guidance and patient evaluation, as they offer an overview and can serve as an indicator of anemias, infectious diseases, coagulation problems, among others.
As for innovation and continuous improvement?
In recent decades, laboratories have incorporated high-tech automated equipment that has allowed the delivery of results in less time, with greater precision and accuracy and reducing the number of measurement errors.
In Kalstein, committed to the importance of a reliable hematological analysis and maintaining our policy of innovation and continuous improvement of our services, we currently have a new hematological analyzer YR02230, the most sophisticated model of the line of hematology analyzers of our commercial house , who offers results of 28 hematological parameters in absolute and percentage values. That’s why we invite you to take a look HERE