1. When considering the purchase of a laboratory oximeter , facilities should mainly consider its interface capability with the lab's existing blood gas system, because oximeters are often used in conjunction with a blood gas system, and both should be compatible.
2. The interface capability will not affect the device's performance but it will expand the usefulness of each instrument by providing a broader analysis of the patient's condition.
3. Facilities should also consider the compatibility of the co-oximeters with the laboratory's data management system, as well as an interface with a printer, to allow information to be recorded electronically and obtained as a hard copy. This will also facilitate with reporting of results to physicians and ensure recording for future reference
4. The unit is more user-friendly with self-diagnostic and alarm features, which alert the operator about potential problems without requiring active monitoring.
5. It is easier to use co-oximeters that automatically correct for common sample interferences, such as bilirubin and lipemia, because they require less user interpretation.
6. The following should be considered by facilities when selecting co-oximeters: who would use and maintain the instrument; analyzers already being used in the hospital; features required.
7. Too many measured parameters are not necessarily an advantage if most of the values will never be used. Clinicians must know that the parameter was derived and not actually measured because inaccuracies may be present.
8. Co-oximeters that hemolyze blood have higher service and preventive maintenance costs than units that do not hemolyze samples and do not require hemolyzing reagents and the associated hardware.
9. Before purchasing the unit, facilities are encouraged to evaluate co-oximeters for a few weeks in their own clinical environment. This will ensure that performance of the instrument as reported by the manufacturer fits the workload and sample types that the facility normally handles.
10. Analytical range, accuracy, precision, reliability, timesaving options and available interfaces are some of the performance features facilities need to consider when evaluating a unit's overall usefulness and long-term operating costs.
11. Tests requiring little or no training belong to the waived tests category. These do not require elaborate QC, and are less likely to produce inaccurate results.
12. The moderate-complexity category includes most clinical laboratory tests, including automated urine, blood, and chemistry.
