Evaluation of new oxidation methods for the measurement of bilirubin on the aeroset clinical chemistry analyzer and comparison with methods on the Hitachi 717.

: We evaluated analytical and performance quality of the new oxidation methods for direct and total bilirubin on the Abbott Aeroset clinical chemistry analyzer. Within-day imprecisions for Abbott Aeroset assays ranged from 0.7 to 2.9% and between-day imprecisions from 2.1 to 7.3%. Inaccuracies as compared with the control "target values" for the Jendrassik-Grof method showed deviations of -18.2 to +4.2%. Limits of detection were determined and showed very low values of 300 micromol/l. A method comparison for 100 patient samples with established Jendrassik-Grof and DPD methods on the Roche Hitachi 717 showed good linearities between the investigated methods (r > or = 0.995). Due to slopes that ranged from 0.829 to 0.950, reference ranges for the oxidation methods differ slightly from those of established Roche Jendrassik-Grof methods, but results can be adapted by the introduction of converting factors. In conclusion, the oxidation bilirubin assays revealed convincing analytical and performance qualities for medical needs that were similar or even better than for established methods. Application of the oxidation methods on the Aeroset clinical chemistry analyzer also improves laboratory efficiency by increasing throughput, speed of obtaining results and lowered sample and reagent volumes compared to established methods.