Medical Laboratory Observer articles from May 2003

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from May 2003

"Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth". (From the Editor).(Editorial)
May 1, 2003... Being editor of MLO is an interesting and enjoyable job, and the best part is definitely the people. Here at our Nelson Publishing offices on the Florida Gulf Coast, my colleagues are a great group of bright, creative and funny people from all...

Educated, underpaid, ignored. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... I am sure this will be one of many comments you will field regarding the salary survey article in the March 2003 issue of MLO. I can't begin to tell you how saddened, but not surprised, I was to see that the median salary for the job function...

Oops! Sorry, Renee. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... You told me to keep reading MLO, so I have been! And I found what I am pretty sure is an error in spelling. See the March 2003 issue, p. 22: Zellweger (as in Rene) is spelled incorrectiy at least twice in one paragraph. --Leon A. Saryan,...

In a perfect world. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... In response to the letter in March 2003 MLO, under the heading "More Education Needed," the reader was talking about the impossibility of disposing of needle holders. It is not a personal or facility decision anymore. OSHA law dictates the...

Soldiers in a different kind of war. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... Your letter [p. 4] in the April [2003] edition of MLO moved me. It has been some time since I read the words of a colleague, concerning our mission as professionals, whereby a sense of pride was espoused. Our mission is vital. Our mission is...

New blood test identifies those at risk for coronary events. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A new blood test can help physicians predict coronary episodes in patients not previously considered at risk, according to late-breaking data presented at the American College of Cardiology's 52nd Annual Scientific Session in Chicago. Dr....

FDA approves expanded use of HPV test. (News).(human papillomavirus test)
May 1, 2003... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved expanded use of a laboratory test to detect the presence in women of human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. There are more than 100 types of...

JCAHO to shift to unannounced surveys by 2006. (News).(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) recently announced its intent to begin conducting all regular accreditation surveys on an unannounced basis beginning in January 2006....

It's showtime!(health care industry conference calendar)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... * May 18 - May 22, 2003 American Society for Microbiology 103rd General Meeting Washington, DC www.asmusa.org/mtgsrc/gm2003mtggeneralinfo.htm * June 22- June 24, 2003 Clinical Laboratory Management Association...

Detecting recent Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 infection: why and how? (Cover Story).
May 1, 2003... The HIV pandemic continues to be a major concern world wide, with about 42 million people infected by December 2002. (1) In 2002 alone, approximately five million new infections were expected, approximately 45,000 of which were anticipated in...

CE test on DETECTING RECENT HIV INFECTION: WHY AND HOW? (Continuing Education).
May 1, 2003... MLO and Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, IL, are cosponsors in offering continuing education units (CEUs) for this issue's article on DETECTING RECENT HIV INFECTION: WHY AND HOW? CEUs or contact hours are granted by the College of...

Free speech in the workplace. (Liability and the Lab).
May 1, 2003... Q With all the political turmoil in the world today, our laboratory has become a tense place to work. We have opinionated technologists and phlebotomists of every political persuasion. Some of the discussions over the workbench have become...

BD Clinical Laboratory Solutions' president, William A. Kozy, actuates "black-belt" quality and "next-gen" planning. (Expert Opinion).(Interview)(Industry Overview)
May 1, 2003... Celia Stevens: How has Operation Iraqi Freedom affected BD Clinical Laboratory Solutions? William A. Kozy: Becton Dickinson and BD Clinical Laboratory Solutions have been U.S. government and Department of Defense suppliers for over 50...

Rapid diagnostic testing in microbiology. (Clinical Issues).
May 1, 2003... Historically, cultures, and in some cases serology, were the only options available for diagnosing infectious diseases. The disadvantages of cultures are the time it takes to recover the infectious agent--be it a virus or a bacterium--and the...

Integrated automated task targeted analyzer systems: an antidote to front-end processing. (Lab Management).
May 1, 2003... The fantasy of laboratory automation is that, with minimal labor, a tube of blood can be introduced into the laboratory, and every appropriate diagnostic test can be performed without additional human intervention (Figure 1). Many articles...

Addressing management issues: drawing blood without orders from a physician, and helping the hearing impaired in your audiences. (Management Q&A).
May 1, 2003... Drawing blood without orders from a physician Q We have a practice in our lab of drawing patients who have no orders from their physician and holding the blood until we do get an order. This is a rural hospital. Some of our patients travel...

Answering your questions: critical value for bands, venipunctures in infants, dysmorphic red cells in urine and stability of pre-transfusion samples. (Tips from the Clinical Experts).
May 1, 2003... Critical value for bands Q Several years ago, at the request a geriatric specialist, our lab designated >20 percent bands as a critical value. Thousands of phone calls to physicians later, we feel the need to drop this from our "critical...

Ergonomic microscopes facilitate life in the lab. (Product Focus).
May 1, 2003... The marketplace for bio-med microscopes, which includes clinical laboratories, is possibly one of the most interesting. No longer are microscopes created one at a time. Today, manufacturers design interchangeable accessory modules that can be...

Cut cross-contamination risk. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Simple-to-use Tube Segment Opener provides safe, easy access to blood-bag tube segments, and virtually eliminates the risk of cross contamination between samples. Options for both 10-/12-mm diameter glass/plastic tubes available. Safely pierces...

Simultaneous connections. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Instrument Manager v8.0l with enhanced rules features autovalidation, reflex ordering and delta checking -- all of which can be added to new and legacy LISs alike. A Windows-based software product, with a library supporting more than 500...

Detect at-risk patients. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... VAP Expanded Cholesterol Test detects twice the patients at risk for heart disease as does the routine cholesterol test. The Vertical Auto Profile (VAP) Test can result in a physician-customized drug therapy to fix multiple cholesterol...

Extended range D-dimer assay. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... VIDAS D-dimer is a new extend-range D-dimer assay to aid in diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. It increases the reportable range from 1,000 ng/mL to 10,000 ng/mL. Supplied in easy-to-use single-test strips. Provides...

Lupus Anticoagulant (LA) screening reagent. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Now available is the DVVtest. Incorporates venom, phospholipids and calcium into a single vial, providing a one-step clotting assay for possible existence of Lupus Anticoagulants. Two packaging configurations, 24-month shelf life, rapid turn...

Automate microplate processing. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... The CONNECT microplate stacker system is fast, reliable, easy-to-use and automated for increasing throughput for applications in genomics, proteomics and diagnostics. Works with TECAN stand-alone instruments for all microplate formats from...

Hospital-strength cleaner. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Solucide, a hospital-strength, hard-surface cleaner, disinfectant, deodorizer and mildew stat, is effective in the presence of organic soil (5 percent blood serum), and kills TB, Hepatitis B virus, HW, MSRA, VISA and VRE. Contains no alcohol,...

Collect and transport tissue. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... The BBL Port-A Cul Transport Jar, with its screw-cap and 1-in, wide mouth, allows for easier insertion and removal of tissue and other large-sample specimens. Contains a non-nutritive, pre-reduced transport medium that inhibits oxygen diffusion...

Enhanced support. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Lab Web version 7.0 offers simplified Z specimen processing and reporting. The LabWeb LIS, modeled after the Web, incorporates different button/tool configurations for each individual in the lab. LabWeb's ASP service means minimal hardware in...

Sealing film. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... AlumaSeal II, soft aluminum sealing film specifically for PCR plates, incorporates strong medical-grade adhesive to withstand thermal cycling/for reliable seal from -80 to +110[degrees]C. Prevents evaporation during cycling, yet pierces easily...

Source for safety products. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... The 2003 First Edition Safety Supplies catalog offers 1,600 pages of the industry's top brands. Full-color photographs and detailed product descriptions make this free copy of this collection of items a convenient reference for the clinical...

Critical temperature monitoring. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Temperature monitor/alarm (both visual LED and audible beeper) for monitoring critical temperatures in the company's lab refrigerators/freezers covers temperature range of -50[degrees]C to +50[degrees]C. During power failure, a battery mode for...

Foods allergen test kit. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Allerquant 14 Foods Allergen Specific IgG ELISA kit, for in vitro semiquantitative analysis of antibodies to food allergens in human serum, contains micro well plates/reagents enough to test 18 patients. Takes less than two hours to perform,...

Blood-bank tube. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... VACUETTE tubes contain [K.sub.3] EDTA that binds calcium ions and blocks the coagulation cascade without affecting test results. Distinctive pink-capped tubes with matching label and black ring are clearly distinguishable from other VACUETTE...

Single-use suspension culture flask. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Pre-sterilized and disposable, the MantaRay single-use, free-standing plastic spinner flask for cell culture is a cost-effective alternative to glass. Eliminates potential exposure to broken glass and lost cultures due to contamination. Working...

One-handed safety syringe. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... New design automatically traps the needle inside the housing after use and prevents reuse. The CPD syringe eliminates potential needlestick injuries and needle sharing, and associated infectious disease transmissions. Unveiled in 3-and 5-cc...

Pipette calibration. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Pipette Tracker software provides a total management system for quality control and proper maintenance of any pipette population. Facilitates collection, analysis, documentation and management of pipette calibration information. User friendly...

Learning Curve. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... The Learning Curve is the Internet's only online phlebotomy CEU program. Developed by the Center for Phlebotomy Education Inc., the program consists of more than a dozen lessons on a wide variety of phlebotomy topics, including safety,...

Meet internal QA. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Assay Validation Kits provide clinical labs with standardized calibrators, controls and testing protocols for introduction of molecular diagnostic assays using analyte-specific reagents/components developed in-house. Help meet internal QA...

5-part differential control. (Industry Update: New Products - New Technology).
May 1, 2003... Para 12 Plus Retics is a five-part differential control for all parameters for the Abbott CellDyn 3200, 3500, 3700 and 4000. Contains automated/manual reticulocyte values for all three levels. Stable/reproducible white blood cell differential...

May's "melting pot" of lab-oriented issues. (Washington Report).(regulatory news briefs)
May 1, 2003... Professional achievement nominations solicited Washington G-2 Reports announces its 2003 Laboratory Public Service National Leadership Award, an annual honor to recognize an individual who has made a significant contribution to the public...