Research in veterinary science
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To assess the suitability of the i-STAT portable analyser for use by non-laboratory personnel, we measured blood gases and pH in venous blood samples from 100 dogs. Deming's regression and bias plots were used to compare i-STAT results with those obtained by laboratory professionals using two different autocalibrated benchtop analysers. ⋯ The accuracy of the i-STAT was also satisfactory for calculated parameters: bicarbonates, total CO(2), base excess and oxygen saturation. Our findings show this portable analyser to be a valid substitute for expensive benchtop analysers in situations requiring mobility, or when small numbers of tests are to be performed by users not specialized in laboratory techniques.