RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the agreement between 3 point-of-care (POC) devices and a reference laboratory for measuring ß-hydroxybutyrate (ß-HB) concentration in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) whole blood (WB) and plasma samples and the precision of each POC device for measuring ß-HB concentration in plasma samples. ANIMALS: 48 healthy African penguins. PROCEDURES: Blood was obtained from the right jugular vein of each penguin, and ß-HB concentration was measured on each POC device using fresh WB and heparinized plasma and at the reference laboratory using plasma. ß-HB concentration was measured in plasma on each POC device. RESULTS: All devices overestimated serum ß-HB concentrations on average by 0.46 mM relative to the reference laboratory. WB samples had less error than plasma for meters A and C. Meter A had the lowest total error observed (26.4%) and the lowest mean difference (0.19 mmol/L) relative to the reference laboratory. Controlling for other factors, the magnitude of disagreement was not affected by sex, age, packed cell volume, or serum total solids concentration. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: WB, not plasma, should be used for measurement of ß-HB concentration on the POC meters tested. Meter A showed good correlation with the reference laboratory for WB. The use of POC devices for the measurement of ß-HB concentration may be acceptable when laboratory analyzers are not available. Further research is needed for clinical application and the diagnostic value of POC meters compared with reference laboratories.
