"Two important aspects of the LaserCyte® are the five-part differential and the accuracy of the counts. Having neutrophil and lymphocyte levels to compare, as well as absolute counts, may help to determine if white cell counts reflect stress, bacterial or viral infection, or the possibility of overwhelming processes, such as enterocolitis."

Richard D. Mitchell, DVM
Fairfield Equine Associates, P.C.
Newtown, Connecticut

Our sincere thanks to Traci Oliveria, veterinary technician, for this case.

Equine Case Study
27-year-old retired Thoroughbred gelding

Signs: Antsy, constantly up and down, sweating, elevated heart and respiration rates

Clinical Presentation: Severe abdominal pain. Cassidy was referred to an equine critical care facility.

Intial Laborartory Data from Referring Veterinarian:
PCV: 45%
Total protein: 8.0 g/dL
Abdominocentesis did not yield any fluid for analysis.

Diagnostic Plan: Physical exam, rectal exam, abdominocentesis, exploratory laparotomy

Findings/Diagnosis: Tachypnea, tachycardia found on physical exam, normal rectal temperature. Mucous membranes were pink, but tacky with 3-second capillary refill time. Gut motility was absent. Did not respond to initial treatment of analgesics and sedatives. Rectal exam revealed distended loops of small intestine. No reflux was obtained after nasogastric intubation. Abdominal exploratory was performed; a pedunculated lipoma was found that was strangulating 7 feet of jejunum. An intestinal resection-anastomosis was performed and the horse recovered from surgery without complication.

Post-Surgical Monitoring: Chemistries and a complete blood count were performed using the IDEXX VetLab® System, including the LaserCyte® Hematology Analyzer. Tests began the day after surgery and continued regularly for several days. After initial leukopenia (2,030/µL), the WBC count returned to normal (6,210/µL) seven days after surgery. Fifteen days after surgery, an incisional infection was developing. The WBC count obtained from the LaserCyte on that day revealed a leukocytosis (17,510/µL) with a neutrophilia (15,260/µL). A cumulative report from the LaserCyte analyzer during Cassidy's hospitalization had the following results:

LaserCyte® Hematology Results

The five-part differential offered by the LaserCyte revealed a borderline low neutrophil count the day following surgery. This suggests acute tissue demand for neutrophils that is close to exceeding the ability of the bone marrow to produce cells. This is a common finding in patients with sudden onset of severe inflammatory disease such as colic. The five-part differential revealed a moderate neutrophilia on day 15 after surgery when the incisional infection was developing. By this time, the bone marrow has had more time to respond to increasing demand for neutrophils and can release more cells quickly when there is tissue demand for infection-fighting cells. Serial CBCs allowed for trend... the trending of the total white blood cell and neutrophil counts from serial CBCs is illustrated below.

White Blood Cell and Neutrophil Trend Report

Follow-Up: Antibiotic therapy resolved the incisional infection. Cassidy returned to his retirement farm.

LaserCyte Advantage: The five-part differential allowed confident identification of the borderline neutropenia on the day following surgery and the neutrophilia on day 15 when the incisional infection was developing. The neutrophils are separated from the other granulocytes (eosinophils and basophils) in the five-part differential, allowing more accurate identification of inflammation from parasitic or allergic disorders. The ease and rapidity of monitoring this critically ill patient in the clinic was important to ensure proper therapy at all stages of the recovery process.

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Choose between two in-hospital hematology analyzers from IDEXX, and learn about our growing number of equine products and services.

Experience the power of delivering answers during the patient's visit with IDEXX instruments, giving you the ability to do necessary and thorough screenings, presurgical testing and general health checkups.

1. The LaserCyte® Hematology Analyzer
   The LaserCyte Hematology Analyzer offers equine veterinarians a COMPLETE blood count, allowing for a truly comprehensive CBC with complete indices, including red blood cell count, platelets and a five-part white blood cell differential for equine patients, such as in the case study above. Now it's possible to get a truly complete insight into the health status of your equine patients within minutes. Customized software incorporates this instrument into the IDEXX VetLab® for complete diagnostic evaluations of your equine patients.

   The easy-to-use LaserCyte analyzer uses proprietary laser-flow cytometry technology, considered the gold standard by clinical pathologists. Blood cells are aligned in a single file, allowing for a cell-by-cell laser interrogation that provides WBC, RBC and platelet parameters necessary to distinguish between bacterial, viral and parasitic infections; inflammation; and allergic reactions.

   Enjoy unprecedented ease-of-use. Run a test in just three simple steps:

   1. Place the sample tube and CBC5R tube in the LaserCyte analyzer.
   2. Enter the patient information.
   3. Tap a button and walk away.

   That's it! Complete results are ready in just minutes.

2. The QBC® VetAutoread™ Hematology Analyzer and Fibrinogen Precipitator
   The QBC VetAutoread Hematology Analyzer offers immediate CBC and fibrinogen information to allow rapid in-house diagnosis and to redefine your entire hematology testing protocol. Precision optics scan each sample eight times while the analyzer's software conducts analysis and delivers CBC results in 60 seconds. And with the fibrinogen precipitator, fibrinogen results are just minutes away, at no additional cost. And like the LaserCyte analyzer, there is no need for sample dilution or machine calibration.

   With the QBC VetAutoread, your results are more than just numbers. The analyzer's printout (printer included) provides test values and results interpretation, plus a graphic profile to aid in your diagnosis, including a buffy coat profile graph, which helps prevent misinterpretation by verifying instrument results. Customized software incorporates this instrument into the IDEXX VetLab System for complete diagnostic evaluations of your equine patients. A replaceable cartridge makes upgrades easy.

   The LaserCyte and QBC VetAutoread analyzers are part of IDEXX's commitment to providing equine practitioners with diagnostic, treatment and information-management support. IDEXX offers a broad and growing range of products and services that provide valuable information and decision support in the detection and management of equine diseases and pain management. Please visit www.idexx.com/equine for more information on the latest advancements in IDEXX products available for equine practitioners.
   
   Visit us at booth number 636, December 4–8 in Denver, Colorado, to celebrate the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) fiftieth anniversay at the AAEP 50^th Annual Convention.

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Education and Events
We offer a variety of seminars and teleconferences about emerging trends and best practices in veterinary diagnostics—in a forum designed to involve, educate and motivate you and your staff.

• Visit the seminar and teleconference calendar and click the date to view the details.
• Fill out and submit the form to register.

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Three Options for Equine Whole-Blood Sample Collection

When drawing equine blood for analysis on the LaserCyte® Hematology Analyzer, you have three options:

Option 1. Use any size of EDTA purple-topped tube and transfer the blood to a 13 x 75 plain red-topped tube.	Draw blood into any EDTA purple-topped tube and gently mix by inversion 8–10 times. After carefully removing the rubber stoppers from both tubes, pour 1–2 cc of well-mixed EDTA-anticoagulated blood from the purple-topped tube into a 13 x 75 mm plain red-topped tube. Firmly replace both stoppers. Push a clean hyperdermic needle through the rubber stopper of the red-topped tube to make sure the tube is not over-pressurized and then remove the needle. Mix the red-topped tube by inversion 8–10 times and then immediately place the tube into the LaserCyte analyzer.
Option 2. Use a 5-cc 13 x 75 EDTA purple-topped tube.	Draw up to 1–4 cc of blood into the 5-cc 13 x 75 EDTA purple-topped tube. Mix by inversion 8–10 times and then immediately place the tube into the LaserCyte analyzer.
Option 3. Use the IDEXX VetCollect® tube.	Draw up to 1 cc of blood into the IDEXX VetCollect tube. Mix by inversion 8–10 times and then immediately place the tube into the LaserCyte analyzer.
	Note: Equine blood cells settle quickly. It is important to gently mix the blood just before transferring samples between tubes and just before placing a sample into the LaserCyte analyzer for analysis.

For your convenience, the LaserCyte Equine Sample Collection Poster is available for you to download and print. (163 KB)

For further assistance, call 1-800-248-2483 for IDEXX Technical Support.

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How does your LaserCyte® Hematology Analyzer help you deliver better patient care?

We would like to hear your thoughts about how your LaserCyte analyzer helps you test, diagnose and treat patients... and so would your peers.

Submit your comments or case studies to share with your peers.

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