hemo calibration frequency

[nziegler]

wondering how often you guys end up calibrating your hemo analyzers.  i know minimum requirement is 6 months or after any major service.  we end up calibrating every 3 months out of necessity.  anyone able to go the full 6 months?

[SMILLER]

We generally have no unexpected calibration issues with our Coulter LH780 and LH500.  The exception is when a major component has to be replaced for some reason.

 

QC is usually OK enough to wait 6 months for the cal check before we have to change anything.  Even every six months, we will often have a cal check where nothing needs to be changed.  We do re-establish linearity every six months also.

 

Scott

[nziegler]

thanks, scott.  just out of curiosity, what is your volume like?  how often do you have service calls?

[SMILLER]

Volume not too bad, only about 250-350 day.  We end up reviewing on the scope about 60 or so every day.

 

As a matter of fact our 780 is down right now!  Our bio-med people have been trying to troubleshoot a power supply problem since Friday!  Until  about six months ago, it was rare that the 780 was down for any reason.  They are now about 6 years old and are showing their age.  I would say for the first 5 years we had only 3 or 4 calls a year that involved significant downtime. 

 

Scott