Abstract
Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) in serum form an equilibrium state, which is the most important physiological buffering system in the blood. Therefore, HCO3- concentration is a significant marker of electrolyte dispersion and anion deficiency, and useful for the medical diagnosis of acid-base disequilibrium in metabolic systems. The bicarbonate measurement kit “Diacolor CO2”, which has recently been developed by Toyobo Co., Ltd., is based on an enzymatic method and can be used in general biochemical analyzers. We investigated the ultrasonic stirring levels in Hitachi LABOSPECT008 and found that level 7 showed the best performance. The analysis conditions are as follows: specimen volume, 1.5 μL; diluent volume, 120 μL; reagent volume, 30 μL; optical measuring point, 3–17; main wavelength, 405 nm; sub-wavelength, 505 nm; analysis method, 2-point end; and calibration method, linear. The basic performance results obtained in precision, accuracy, and linearity studies were excellent. In a correlation study, this reagent showed a slightly lower coefficient of variation than the Siemens Flex Cartridge Carbon Dioxide ECO2, although the principles of which are similar. Regarding the stability of specimens, a small collected blood volume and dispensing serum into a sample cup after more than 20 min made the measurement values low. We consider that this reagent can widely contribute to the diagnosis of acid-base disequilibrium.
