title: Quality assurance in the laboratory testing process: indirect estimation of the reference intervals for platelet parameters in neonates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One of the most powerful tools that laboratory medicine uses to help the clinical decision-making process is the reference interval (RI). By establishing their own RIs in accordance with the analytical method they apply, the laboratories contribute to the quality assurance in the laboratory testing process.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study estimates the RIs of the platelet parameters in neonates for Nihon Celltac F hematology automatic analyzer. A database of 1058 venous complete blood counts in neonates in their first day of life has been processed through two different statistical methods: the simple non-parametric method and the bootstrap method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results give the mean±SE(RI) for: platelet count (PLT)=270.39±0.68 (156-387×10(9)/L); plateletcrit (PCT)=0.151±0.0072 (0.10-0.23%); mean platelet volume (MPV)=5.72±0.0085 (4.0-8.0fL): platelet distribution width (PDW)=17.67±3.03 (16.3-18.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These values are in agreement with the RI for platelet count reported in literature, but the estimated RIs of the platelet indices are different. This justifies the need for laboratories to determine their own RIs.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Department, 2, Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Daniela Stefania
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Grecu
authors.affiliation: West University of Timisoara, Physics Department, V Parvan 4, 300223 Timisoara, Romania. Electronic address: eugeniat@physics.uvt.ro.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Paulescu
mesh_terms: D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010976:Platelet Count; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis
keywords: Neonates; Platelet parameters; References intervals