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11. Calibration
The coagulometer is calibrated by entering numerical data, which are
used to determine test results from the measured coagulation time in the
pre-set unit of measurement. The unit of measurement can be changed in
the Settings. The LOT number of the reagents and calibrators used during
the measurement must be recorded in order to determine test results.
There are two ways to enter the calibration data:
1. It is more convenient and secure to use a
barcode reader
– this met-
hod reduces the time elapsed between changing reagents and decreases
the possibility of input errors as well. Data has to be read in line by line.
2. Calibration data can also be typed in
manually
, which is specified in
the data sheet supplied with the calibrator. The barcode contains three
lines consisting of 16 alphanumeric characters. The software can only
correctly interpret the barcode system used by Diagon.
In case control material is entered and there is a range discrepancy (for
example, from PT to PT-L) the software automatically sets the corres-
ponding control values.
The data needed for calibration is determined by the unit of measurement
set in the ‘Dimension’ line in the ‘Setup’ menu.
Rate
: Normal Value – MNPT for PT
INR
: Normal Value & ISI
Concentration
: Percentage or INR Calib. (two pieces of data
of six calibration points at most)
11.1 Calibration of Clotting Tests
The test to be calibrated can be selected in the Main Menu ► Calibration
► Test Type ► Test.
The options for entering data for this test (PT) are the following:
1.
Reagent
: sets data regarding reagents in terms of which the given
calibration is valid – Name, LOT Number, Date of Expiry
Reagents that are past their date of expiry will be
marked with an ‘E’ (expired) flag.