Automated Urine Analyzer And Components Evaluated

Urinalysis is a very common technique used in clinical practice, providing crucial information on the functioning of the kidneys and other organ systems, and aiding clinical decision-making in various diseases, such as diabetes, glomerulonephritis, and suspected urinary tract infections.

Automated urine analyzers systems offer practicable and faster urine screening, which may prevent unnecessary culture requests. The increased throughput of these instruments over manual methods enables the reliable and rapid screening of urine samples with reduced labor demands on laboratory staff, thereby improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness.


Clinical chemists at the Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden, The Netherlands) and their colleagues conducted a study at three European centers using un-centrifuged surplus routine urine samples; all measurements were performed within 2 hours of sample collection. Precision, sample carry-over and method comparisons were evaluated per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.

The scientists compared the fully automated urine analyzer, the cobas u 601 versus the Roche Urisys 2400 and the Roche cobas u 411 urine test strips; and the Roche cobas u 701 versus KOVA visual microscopy and the iQ200 analyzer. Operability and functionality were assessed using questionnaires.

The team reported that precision of the entire cobas 6500 system was within predefined acceptance limits and no significant carry-over was observed. Erythrocytes, leukocytes, nitrites, and protein were in good agreement (≥93%) with cobas u 411 reflectometry. High correlation was shown between the cobas u 701 analyzer and KOVA visual microscopy for red blood cells (RBC) and white blood cells (WBC), demonstrating equivalence of test results. The 97.5% percentile reference values on the cobas u 701 analyzer were 5.3 cells/μL (RBC) and 6.2 cells/μL (WBC). The cobas 6500 system showed good sensitivity for small bacteria (>1 μm) and pathological casts, and the user interface, maintenance wizards and system design were highly rated by operators.

The authors concluded that showed that the fully automated cobas 6500 urine work area meets the analytical quality specifications recommended by European urinalysis guidelines, produces results comparable to those obtained by manual microscopy, and is suitable for routine clinical laboratory use. The study was published on September 19, 2019, in the journal Practical Laboratory Medicine.

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Leiden University Medical Center