Does amphotericin B lipid complex (Abelcet) affect haematological parameters erroneously?
Abelcet is composed of large particles which could be misinterpreted as blood cells on measurements with blood cell counters. The direct measurement of drug suspensions on blood cell counters has been performed in an in vitro study. In an ex vivo study, the haematological parameters were compared before and during Abelcet infusions. A significant interference effect was observed in platelet counts, together with minimal differences in the WBC, RBC, and Hb parameters in the in vitro study. In the ex vivo study, there were statistically significant deviations only in RBC counts and in haemoglobin (Hb) level, while there was no difference in the other parameters. It is been reported that the drug accumulates very rapidly in the reticuloendothelial system and circulates minimally in the plasma. That is why there is a significant deviation in the direct counting of platelets, while the platelet counts taken from the patients do not differ statistically.
