EVALUATION OF THE HITACHI-911 FOR ROUTINE URINE ANALYSIS AND FOR MEASUREMENT OF VARIOUS SPECIAL SERUM ANALYTES

The Boehringer Mannheim Hitachi 911 is a selective analyzer for 35 dif ferent methods including 3 ion-selective electrode (ISE) methods. We h ave evaluated this analyzer primarily to obtain objective information on its applicability for routine urine analyses in our laboratory. We also implemented appropriate assays for various special serum- and who le blood-tests, some for the first time on the Hitachi 911 and some wi th modified settings. Analytical evaluation involved NCCLS EP5-T2 (imp recision), NCCLS EP6-P (linearity), Krouwer 27 (multifactor) and Passi ng and Bablok (method comparison) evaluation protocols. With the excep tion of evidence of systematic erroneous sample predilution, overall r esults were favourable. Practicability of the Hitachi 911 was judged b y simulating daily routine. During a period of two weeks, daily urine samples were rerun on the Hitachi 911, leading to a gain of about 50% in total processing time. It was concluded that the Hitachi 911 meets the requirements in terms of analytical performance, reliability, vers atility and speed for an analyzer to be used in a routine (urine) sett ing, while having a distinct role in special (serum/whole blood) measu rements.