DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2013.v01i06.0071

Pages: 972-974

Electrolytes are present in the human body, and the balance of the electrolytes in our body is essential for normal functioning of our body. Common electrolytes important for quantitative estimation includes sodium and potassium. In 1930’s, chemical methods were used to measure serum electrolytes. To overcome disadvantages like time consuming process, little accuracy, flame photometer was devised and after three decades, autoanalyser was introduced. Measurement of serum electrolytes by means of Sherwood Scientific model 420 flame photometer were compared with measurements made by Fully Automated Olympus AU400 autoanalyser to determine the efficiency of instrument. Determination of serum electrolytes showed slight difference in the results. Measurement of serum electrolytes by Fully Automated Olympus AU400 autoanalyser was faster and with less quantity of serum sample as compared to Sherwood Scientific Model 420 flame photometer which requires diluted serum sample, which may introduce manual error. Fully Automated Olympus AU400 autoanalyser measures serum electrolytes with ion-selective electrodes (ISE) which depends on the ionic activity, whereas flame photometer measures the stoichiometric concentration. Determination of serum electrolytes by Olympus AU400 autoanalyser was more efficient, sensitive and accurate than Sherwood Scientific Model 420 flame photometer.