The widespread use of alkalizing agents to affect performance enhancement in racing horses led to the establishment of an internationally accepted threshold for total carbon dioxide in the plasma of racehorses. This threshold was established based upon data that was collected using the Beckman Synchron EL-ISE.
With the discontinuation of the Beckman EL-ISE, and related instruments, several laboratories have focused on the use of HSGCMS and have demonstrated that this technology is an acceptable substitute for the use of ISE based equipment used in the establishment of the threshold.
Given that the international threshold was based upon data acquired with the Beckman EL-ISE the Association of Official Racing Chemists (AORC) established a set of conditions that must be met by an alternative instrument if it is to be used in the determination of TCO2 so that data generated could be expected to be equivalent to that upon which the threshold was based.
Racing Forensics possess operational Beckman Synchron EL-ISEs and was able to conduct a validation of its HSGCM procedure directly with the Beckman EL-ISE.
The data obtained during validation demonstrate that the Beckman Synchron EL-ISE and HSGCMS produce essentially identical results when appropriate controls and conditions are established.
The use of HSGCMS requires no adjustment in the previously established threshold for TCO2 when appropriate standards and reference materials are used.