Comparing the analytical performances of two Beckman Coulter BxU 850 Iris automates in the laboratory: Reliability and accuracy

Abstract

Cytobacteriological urine tests (ECBU) are necessary for diagnosing urinary infections, and there is a growing trend toward automated analytical methods that aim to shorten turnaround times as sample volumes increase. This study evaluated the analytical performance of two Beckman Coulter BxU 850 Iris automated analyzers, specifically examining reproducibility, repeatability, linearity, and contamination. The study, which lasted for a month, used thirty anonymized urine samples to check the accuracy of the tests and compare them to the standards set by the manufacturer. The results showed that the detection limits were good, the linearity was good (with correlation coefficients of R2 = 0.983 for leukocytes and R2 = 0.999 for erythrocytes), and the contamination rates were very low. The study found that both analyzers give accurate results that meet analytical standards. This means that they can be used interchangeably in labs if the right quality controls are in place.