An introduction to Preanalytical Variability Advisor, a freeware to avoid or manage sampling errors in animal hematology, hemostasis and clinical chemistry

Preanalytical Variability Advisor is a search engine giving access to published information on factors affecting results of clinical patholgy during specimen sampling and handling before analysis. Whereas analytical variabililty is now very low and well controlled in laboratories, preanalytical variability is responsible for numerous errors. These have two categories of causes : either easily contollable technical factors, or biological factors, which are often impossible to control but which must be known to avoid errors in result interpretation. The main technical factors are the choice of anticoagulants, duration and temperature of storage before analysis, centrifugation conditions, duration and temperature of storage after analysis. Among biological effets, the most notable ones are the proximity of a meal, the stress of restraint, sometimes of capture in wild animals, sedation and anesthesia, and drug treatments.