Use of the i-STAT portable clinical analyzer in mice.

The use of portable chemistry analyzers is an attractive option for obtaining clinical pathology panels in mice, because these analyzers require only small volumes of whole blood. However, in studies with other animals, portable analyzers do not always agree with results obtained using standard laboratory equipment. The authors evaluated the use of the i-STAT handheld portable clinical analyzer compared to the use of standard nonportable laboratory instruments in mice. As shown with other species, the i-STAT results did not always agree with standard laboratory instruments; however, the i-STAT does show reliability for certain chemistry assays.