Influence of mixing parameters in STAR automatic sample processing instruments on the detection results of internal controls

Objective To explore the significance of blending internal controls by automatic sample processing instruments in the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Methods The internal controls were vortexed and mixed before the test, and then were added to the same ELISA plate by the STAR automatic sample processing instruments under the same detection conditions. The difference of S/CO value of internal controls with and without sufficient blending via the sampling needle and their frequency distribution were compared. Internal controls that were greatly affected by mixing parameters were submitted to the same test with different batches of reagents from the same manufacturer, and the results were analyzed for consistency. Results The S/CO value of anti-HCV internal controls without blending using adding sample needle was significantly lower than that of quality control samples with sufficient blending (P