RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Hematological patients, receiving intensive chemotherapy (predominantly acute leukemia patients), have repeated postchemotherapy periods with severe bone marrow suppression. As a result, these patients require regular monitoring of the complete blood counts (CBC) for optimal patient care. To reduce the strain on the patient, there is a need for a point-of-care (POC) hematology device that provides rapid and reliable results both in general and in cytopenic samples and is suitable for outpatient clinics. We evaluated the HemoScreen device for the most used CBC parameter both overall and at the lower range. METHODS: The HemoScreen was compared with the Sysmex XN-9000 in 206 routine venous samples and 79 capillary bedside samples focusing on white blood cells (WBC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), red blood cells (RBC), PLT and HGB. RESULTS: The HemoScreen was less precise compared to the acceptance criteria set for larger and more advanced hematology instrument with a CV% 3.0-3.7 for WBCs, 3.6-8.4 for ANCs, 1.1-1.5 for RBCs, 2.5-4.4 for PLTs, and 1.7-2.3 for HGB. Correlation coefficient for all five parameters for the entire range was r >.95 and r >.90 at lower range for venous and capillary samples. Bias limits were within the CTCAE acceptance limits. CONCLUSIONS: The HemoScreen provides rapid and accurate test results, for evaluation of WBC, PLT, and HGB, as well as at low concentrations for guiding transfusions and postchemotherapy treatment. The device is easy to operate and can measure both venous and capillary samples. Therefore, the HemoScreen is well suited for smaller outpatient clinics and potentially home use.