Evaluation of the Beekman Coulter LX20 clinical chemistry analyzer

Our goal was to consolidate different methodologies in the clinical chemist ry laboratory and replace aging analyzers; therefore, we evaluated the newl y available Beckman Coulter LX20 (Brea, CA). Results were obtained for line arity, within- and between-day precision, correlation, interference, and se rum-vs-plasma studies. Satisfactory precision results were obtained, with m ost assays demonstrating within-day coefficients of variation less than 2% and between-day, coefficients of variation less than 5%. The linearity for all assays was acceptable over the range tested Correlation results were ad equate. The major difference in serum-vs-plasma studies was potassium. The only significant interferences noted were that lipemia decreased uric acid and bilirubin results, while hemolysis increased potassium results. We conc lude that the LX20 demonstrates good performance capabilities, making this instrument suitable for a medium- to high-volume laboratory.