Changes in hematology measurements in healthy and diseased dog blood stored at room temperature for 24 and 48 hours using the XT-2000iV analyzer.

Background: Changes in canine hematology measurements may occur when analyses are delayed due to shipment of specimens to a laboratory.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to report changes in hematologic variables in healthy and diseased canine blood measured with a Sysmex XT-2000iV during storage at room temperature for 24 and 48 hours.
Methods: EDTA-K3 blood samples from 42 healthy and diseased dogs were measured on a Sysmex XT-2000iV analyzer within one hour of sampling, and after storage for 24 and 48 hours at room temperature in the dark.
Results: Storage caused little or no change in RBC count, HGB concentration and MCH, while there was a moderate increase in HCT, MCV and reticulocytes count, and a moderate decrease in MCHC. Decreased platelet counts by impedance (PLT-I) and optical (PLT-O) measurements were associated with increased mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) and platelet distribution width (PDW), including a right shift in the platelet histogram and a dispersion of the platelet dot plot on the scattergram. The total and differential WBC count remained stable except for decreased monocyte counts. In the scatterplots, monocytes shifted into the lymphocyte population after 24 hours, and neutrophil population shifted to the right appearing in the eosinophil gate at 48 hours of storage. The disease status had only a small effect on storage-induced changes, and observed changes had no consequences for clinical decisions.
Conclusions: Blood storage at room temperature was accompanied by moderate variations in some hematologic variables, awareness of which helps in avoiding misinterpretations.
(© 2014 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology and European Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)