Lab - Leading the Way
- August 2009 LEAD STORY - By Sarah Hopkins, Communications Intern
Dragica Gojmerac, Medical Laboratory Technologist at Welland Hospital Site, loads specimans into a Vitros Chemistry Analyzer.
At first glance, it looks like a really long photocopier in the Medical Laboratory, but under the lid is state-of-the-art capability to help diagnose patient conditions by testing blood and other specimens.
Niagara Health is the first hospital system in Canada to use the Vitros 5600 Chemistry Analyzer. This new technology allows the Laboratory to speed up the testing process, meaning faster diagnosis of patient conditions – a major factor when almost four million tests are completed here each year. Another benefit, especially for those patients who don't like needles, is that the newest chemistry analyzer requires smaller blood samples.
This innovative medical equipment is located at St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls sites, serving the entire region. The three instruments were a no-cost upgrade to existing equipment and the Niagara Health System did not incur any additional capital costs for the upgrades.
"Medical technology is evolving at a rapid pace and changing the way healthcare providers care for patients and diagnose patient conditions," says Albert Lee, Manager of Laboratory Medicine Program at St. Catharines General Site. "The Vitros 5600 now does the work of two separate instruments and does the testing with greater speed and accuracy."
Today's health concerns range from the threat of new infectious diseases to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Whether it is a blood test, a throat swab or a biopsy, tests performed by medical laboratory professionals provide vital information about a patient's health. Up to 85% of decisions about diagnosis and treatment are based on laboratory test results. Results must be accurate and our Laboratories meet more than 450 stringent quality assurance standards and go through rigorous accreditation surveys every five years.
The new chemistry analyzer equipment performs 90% of tests typically needed in a hospital laboratory, including glucose, hepatitis and therapeutic drugs. It is capable of holding over 100 samples at a time, working on a sample-centred processing system described as "one tube in – one tube out". This process eliminates the need to split or move samples manually between instruments. This increases efficiency and quality of testing.
"Requiring a smaller biological sample means less time and discomfort for patients, particularly those needing multiple tests," says Joanne Guzda, Manager of Laboratory Medicine programs at Welland and Niagara Falls sites. "The Vitros 5600 runs twice as fast as its predecessor, providing results much sooner, meaning patients can receive earlier diagnosis and treatment."
The Components of Laboratory Medicine
The functions of medical laboratories are wide-ranging and include the following:
Clinical Chemistry: Measurement of chemical components including hormones and drugs in blood and body fluids. Common test - blood glucose (blood sugar) test to diagnose and monitor diabetes.
Clinical Microbiology: Study of bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites that invade the body. Common test - throat swab to detect strep throat.
Diagnostic Cytology: Study of cells for the detection of cancer. Common test - pap test to detect cervical cancer.
Hematology: Study of diseases of blood cells and clotting mechanisms of blood. Common test - hemoglobin test to detect anemia and bone marrow examination for leukemia and lymphoma.
Surgical Pathology: Preparation and study of body tissue for the detection of disease. Common test - biopsy of a breast lump to either confirm or rule out cancer.
Transfusion Medicine: Determination of blood types. Common test - cross matching for blood.
Last year, the six laboratories in the Niagara Health System carried out 3,894,175 lab tests in the above fields.