Controls are a problem with Dade as is stability with certain lots of
D-Dimer. We had a real problem finding controls for DD that we could live
with. Some were not stable where we had a low level control reading the
lower limit only to have it read less than with the next lot number cal.
Dade kits in general or kind of problematic, especially the anti-factor Xa
activity with reconstituting, stability and calibrating.
We are evaluating a D-Dimer assay that is more user friendly and we are
doing parallel studies right now with this.
http://www.diagnox.co.uk/site/news_and_events/news_article.php?newsid=90

We were running a kit for BNP from this same company and it uses the same
meter.
The way you basically use it is you open a pouch with a small flat
disposable device. A plastic pipette accompanies the kit and you fill the
well with whole EDTA blood and then insert it into the device after you bar
scanned the ID into it. After about 10 to 15 minutes you get a print out of
results.
You QC the entire lot only once and replace a chip on the instrument with
each lot. It beats running controls every 8 hours and calibrating each lot
and wasting reagents because of stability.

Our lab does Advanced D-Dimer on CA1500.  I'm not sure what the control
ranges are.  Perhaps I can help tomorrow when I work.