Medical Laboratory Observer articles from June 2005

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from June 2005

Ponder, prepare, and protect.(From the editor)(bioterrorism)
June 1, 2005... My patter often alludes to my fondness for particularly unique personalities--Eric Hoffer is one. While reading Dr. Bill Nauschuetz' bioterror article, I was reminded of Hoffer. He read German and English by age five and inexplicably went blind...

Tiptoe through the petri dish.(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... I just had a comment on your recent MLO article [Liability and the lab, "'Green thumb' not welcome in the lab," March 2005, p. 38] regarding plants in the lab. I work in microbiology. A while back, we allowed plants. They became infested with...

Reality strikes.(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... Upon receiving the March 2005 issue of MLO, I opened it with great anticipation. I looked for and found its salary survey. I quickly turned to page 28 and found "Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Haigh, associate editor. With quickness of speed,...

Memories, memories.(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... As a clinical chemist of 39 years, I loved Roy Midyett's article [MLO, May 2005, "Ten instruments that changed the lab," p. 30]. As predicted, "How could you leave out the SMA 12/30 and/or SMA 12/60?" In the "prepanel days," the regimen was,...

When is a mosquito not?(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... Your May 2005 issue of MLO features the picture of a nonmosquito behind the headline for "mosquito-borne flaviviruses." The dipteran depicted is a tipulid or crane fly and is easily distinguished from a mosquito by the shape of wings, head, and...

Voluntary anthrax vaccinations for military.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Voluntary anthrax vaccinations for military. Under an emergency use authorization (EUA) issued by the FDA in January and approved by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on April 6, the Department of Defense announced on May 4 that it would...

Bird flu quandary.(News)
June 1, 2005... Bird flu quandary. In the May 12 issue of Nature, World Health Organization (WHO) officials reported that monitoring the severity and nature of the H5N1 avian influenza virus outbreak in Asia has been difficult because affected countries are...

Call for proposals.(News)
June 1, 2005... Call for proposals. CLMA is now accepting educational session proposals for ThinkLab '06, which will be held March 18-21, 2006, in Charlotte, NC. Proposals from both CLMA members and nonmembers will be considered by the 2005 CLMA Review and...

Conferences.(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... * August 5. The North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health (NCSLPH) and the National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN) will sponsor "North Carolina Clinical Lab Tech Day" in Raleigh, NC. The one-day educational conference is targeted at...

Management program scholarships.(Education)
June 1, 2005... Management program scholarships. Scholarship applications are currently available for 25 AACC members to attend the 2005 Bayer Diagnostics Executive Management Program. The intensive program, to be held Nov. 13-17, 2005, at the University of...

ASC scholarship.(Education)
June 1, 2005... ASC scholarship. The ASC (American Society of Cytopathology) Foundation is accepting applications for scholarships to attend the 2006 ASC Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Awards of $2,000 each, to be granted based on merit...

QMS courses online.(Education)
June 1, 2005... QMS courses online. COLA recently introduced 14 new Quality Management Systems (QMS) and Quality Systems Essentials (QSE) online courses. Based on ISO 15189 and CLSI guidelines, these interactive lessons help laboratorians understand the CLSI...

New webinars available.(Education)
June 1, 2005... New webinars available. Beckman Coulter Inc. has added two new webinars, "Assisted Reproductive Techniques" (ART) and "Introduction to Six Sigma/Lean," to its e-learning curriculum. The 25-minute ART course covers the ART cycle and includes a...

Research award.(Awards)
June 1, 2005... Research award. In an effort to encourage innovative research in cytopathology, the ASC Foundation will present up to three Cytopathology Research Seed Award grants to member cytopathologists who have been practicing for a maximum of five years...

Straight talk on bioterror from the Army's LRN Gatekeeper.(Laboratory Response Network)(Cover Story)
June 1, 2005... CONTINUING EDUCATION [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To earn CEUs, see test on page 18. LEARNING OBJECTIVES The reader should be able to: 1) Identify the role of the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) sentinel clinical laboratory...

Six Sigma project reduces analytical errors in an automated lab.(CLINICAL ISSUES)(North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System )
June 1, 2005... The North Shore-LIJ Health System is the third-largest nonsectarian health system in the country. Created in 1998, the health system's laboratory model consists of a strategically located core lab that uses total laboratory automation and...

Med tech of all trades; master of many.(LAB MANAGEMENT)(Sarasota Memorial Hospital & Healthcare System's laboratories)(training of Medical technologists )
June 1, 2005... Change is the key word at Sarasota Memorial Hospital & Healthcare System's (SMH's) laboratories. The sentiment is reflected in a colorful "Who Moved My Cheese?" poster on Anne Beall's door. Beall (BS, MT), manager of SMH's Microbiology and...

Bioterror workshops: see the "real bugs".(EDUCATION)
June 1, 2005... In 1999, when the National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN) began delivering bioterrorism-preparedness training for clinical and public health laboratorians in partnership with the CDC, very few participants recognized the significance of...

Sexual harassment at a holiday party.(Addressing management issues)
June 1, 2005... Q At our laboratory's last holiday party, held away from the hospital premises, one supervisor drank too much and exhibited behavior that would have been deemed sexual harassment if it occurred in the laboratory. Should I report this behavior...

Ethics of husbands and wives working at the same facility.(Addressing management issues)
June 1, 2005... Q The wife of our medical director (pathologist) is employed in our laboratory. Most technologists are uncomfortable with this arrangement but are afraid of questioning it for fear of retribution or censure. One employee took the issue to the...

Acid phosphatase testing for rape.(Answering your questions)
June 1, 2005... Q The ED physician in charge of our hospital's rape-crisis program would like our lab to use prostatic acid phosphatase assays to assist physicians in supporting rape claims. Currently, our laboratory performs acid phosphatase (total) testing...

High CK in asymptomatic woman.(creatine kinase )
June 1, 2005... Q A 79-year-old female out-patient has a repeatedly high total CK (900 +/-; reference A ALD and total creatine kinase (CK) are both good markers for skeletal-muscle injury and diseases of skeletal muscle, such as muscular dystrophy....

Early morning blood draws.(Answering your questions)
June 1, 2005... Q Are you aware of a law in Washington state that prevents blood draws from patients in long-term care facilities before 5:00 a.m.? A I contacted officials at Residential Care Services of the Washington State Department of Social and Health...

Patricia Shrader on BD's volunteer history.(Executive snapshot)(Becton Dickinson and Company Ltd.)
June 1, 2005... History of helping [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BD's legacy of social responsibility goes back to its founding, over 100 years ago, by Maxwell W. Becton and Fairleigh S. Dickinson. They believed that success went beyond product innovation...

Hybrid lab system transforms industry: still pulling clinical and anatomic pathology results from different data systems?(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... The clinical lab uses one LIS. The anatomic pathology lab uses another. Labs have always worked this way. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What's wrong with this practice?_ The pathologist doesn't get the full picture of the patient's...

Examine religious practice in the workplace.(Liability and the lab)
June 1, 2005... Q Our medical director is a religious devotee, which is great, except that she insists on starting lab meetings and luncheons with a prayer. She typically chooses someone at random to offer the prayer. Nobody objects to her faith, and she...

Positive patient ID.(Industry spotlight)(Handheld computers)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The third-gen mobile computing solution for specimen collection, MediCopia, has a handheld computer with fully integrated 802.11 radio, bar-code scanner, and portable bar-code printer. Interfaced to an LIS, its phlebotomy app allows...

Convenient lid system.(Industry spotlight)(Whitney Products Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Terminal-brand Biobazard Keeper's unique Reclose-A/Remove-A-Lid recloses during use to reduce odors. With the lid entirely removed, the wide-mouth opening allows disposal of large items or entire racks of tubes or pipet tips at once. Full...

No reconstitution/incubation.(Industry spotlight)(Hardy Diagnostics's rapid test kits)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The new StrepPRO Grouping Kit is a streptococcal-grouping, latex-agglutination kit for the rapid ID of streptococcal groups A, B, C, D, F, and G from primary culture plates. The kit features modified acid-extraction technology with no...

For pathologists/histotechs.(Industry spotlight)(Labconco Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Two configurations of the new Protector Work Stations are designed specifically for pathologists and histotechs: one for remote blowers/exhausters and the other with built-in blowers. Enclosures operate at face velocities from 60 to 100 fpm to...

Knowledge base for diabetes.(Industry spotlight)(Buyers Guide)
June 1, 2005... GlycemicControl.net serves as a central knowledge source of up-to-date information on advances in aggressive treatment of hyperglycemia and diabetes in hospital patients. Also provided are website links that offer info on glycemic-control...

Ready-to-use marker.(Industry spotlight)(Abbott Diagnostics Division)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The introduction of tumor marker assays ARCHITECT CA 125 II (ovarian cancer) and CA 15-3 (State II/III breast-cancer monitoring) mean precision and consistent clinical performance on the company's i2000, i2000[.sub.SR], and ci8200 systems. Each...

Blood-collection site poster.(Industry spotlight)(Buyers Guide)
June 1, 2005... Highly detailed, laminated, 17X22-inch, color poster depicts acceptable venipuncture/skin puncture sites for blood-specimen collection, and includes alternative venipuncture sites for mastectomy patients, foot/ankle veins, and other unique...

Auto-STAT notification.(Industry spotlight)(Beckman Coulter Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Updated data-management software, DL2000 Version 6.4, operates with an LIS--allowing control of multiple lab processes, consolidation of test information from various instrument systems, and management of data in real time. Auto-STAT...

Compact test system.(Industry spotlight)(Buyers Guide)
June 1, 2005... The VITEK 2 Compact, an automated bacterial ID and antibiotic-susceptibility testing system, is designed for small to midsized microbiology labs. It uses a panel of predispensed growth media, biochemicals, and antibiotic concentrations, and...

Determine salicylate levels.(Industry spotlight)(Diagnostic Chemicals Ltd.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Salicylate-SL assay offers a rapid, cost-effective, simplified and highly specific enzymatic method for determining salicylate levels in serum and plasma. With two package configurations and an 18-month shelf life, the assay is suited for...

Liquid IgE reagent.(Industry spotlight)(Kamiya Biomedical Company)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The new K-ASSAY Total IgE reagent for the quantitative determination of human total IgE in serum or plasma can be run on Roche/Hitachi, Olympus, Beckman Synchron, Abbott Aeroset, and other standard chemistry analyzers at a low cost. Comes in a...

Flask adapters.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2005... Two new culture flask adapters for SORVALL Legend T/RT tabletop centrifuges for processing cell-culture flasks can save time and reduce contamination risks. The T-75 holds flasks at a 17[degrees] angle (T-25 at 27[degrees]) to ensure cells are...

STAT timer.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2005... The Stat Tracker allows users to program the timer with user-defined alarms and flashing lights to alert when a STAT sample is ready. Four AA batteries or an AC adapter (sold separately) operate red, yellow, and green lights, as well as halfway...

Water purification.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2005... The Elix Ultraviolet water purification system combines advanced purification technologies for consistent optimal quality and efficient, robust performance. Also offers easy-to-change cartridges, an automatic cleaning process, and low water and...

Seal blood-bag tubes.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2005... This new Segmentation System automatically seals and segments blood-bag tubes in three to five seconds. Its modular design gives users a choice of two to seven sealing heads for every tube-segmentation requirement. Suitable for tubing types up...

DNA/RNA tubes.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2005... Eppendorf LoBind microcentrifuge tubes are optimized for either proteomic or genomic (DNA/RNA) apps. Available in 0.5 mL and 2.0 mL, the tubes feature the Safe-Lock lid and contain no DNase, RNase, human DNA, or PCR inhibitors. Ultra-pure...

Rapid testing.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2005... PNA FISH (peptide nucleic acid fluorescent in situ hybridization) is a method that rapidly identifies S aureus, C albicans, and E faecalis--the most common Gram-positive organisms isolated at large hospitals--within 2.5 hours, a day or two...

DAT reagent kits.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2005... Ten bar-coded and cartridged drugs-of-abuse reagent kits (250 tests each) are now available for use specifically on Synchron CX/LX chemistry analyzers. The kits include cannabinoid, opiate, amphetamine, cocaine, phencyclidine, methadone,...

Complete the patient picture.(Product focus: Anatomic pathology systems)
June 1, 2005... The Clinical Information Module for WindoPath's anatomic pathology (AP) information system gives a complete picture of a patient's condition. With the click of a button, a pathologist can view all clinical results associated with a particular...

A "wish book" of products.(Product focus: Anatomic pathology systems)
June 1, 2005... This new, comprehensive Anatomical Pathology Catalog showcases the range of gross dissection, sample labeling, frozen sectioning, cell preparation, tissue processing and sectioning, slide staining, and forensic investigation products. In its...

Integration made simple.(Product focus: Anatomic pathology systems)
June 1, 2005... PowerPath's AP system, with intuitive user interface, streamlines workflow and daily operations for labs offering surgical pathology, cytology, dermatopathology, and autopsy services. Users are ensured of quick access to requisition data, case...

AP data warehouse.(Product focus: Anatomic pathology systems)
June 1, 2005... This Windows-based AP lab information-management software system--NovoPath--acts as a data warehouse for all pathology cases and includes reporting, image acquisition, label printing, electronic sign-off, and more. It can integrate with an...

User-friendly and secure.(Product focus: Anatomic pathology systems)
June 1, 2005... The Gold Standard uses Micro-soft Visual Basic for a user-friendly system that allows quick, accurate data entry. The SQL Server database provides a stable environment that can be accessed with common Microsoft tools, such as Access and Excel....

Web access to results.(Product focus: Anatomic pathology systems)
June 1, 2005... CoPathPlus offers users automated processing and reporting of complex information for surgical, cytology, and autopsy specimens. Its flexibility enables clients to create workflow efficiencies for inpatient/outpatient specimens. The CoMed for...

Medical laboratory workforce shortage exposed.(Washington report)
June 1, 2005... About eight years ago, Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) introduced HR 2784--a bill intended to limit physicians' ability to contract privately with patients. Rep. Stark is a smart man; he wanted to highlight a concern that private contracts might place...

2006 editorial calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... ISSUE & CONTINUING CLINICAL LAB CLOSING EDUCATION ISSUES MANAGEMENT JAN Celiac Disease Point-of-Care Proficiency Testing Dec 7 & Genetic Testing Testing FEB ...