Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association
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The spun hematocrit is a common screening test performed on normal newborn infants to determine anemia, and more commonly, polycythemia. Recently, the hemoglobin value obtained from the HemoCue system (HemoCue Inc.; Mission Viejo, Calif.) has gained popularity in the adult and outpatient pediatric population to screen blood for anemia. Although the machine is not in widespread use in hospitals, it is being used in blood banks and physician offices. ⋯ The hemoglobin was consistently one third the value of the hematocrit. There was a significant and systematic difference between the values obtained with the HemoCue in the nursery and the laboratory hematology analyzer. The HemoCue readings were slightly lower in all cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)