Medical Laboratory Observer articles from November 2004

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from November 2004

Diabetes: nothing to Snicker at.(From the editor)
November 1, 2004... "No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds--November!" maligned Thomas Hood (b. 1799), English poet and humorist. Too bad he didn't live in America where in November we celebrate Thanksgiving and...

Top challenges in laboratory management.(Conferences)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... "Top Challenges in Laboratory Management." Over the next few months, the Management Sciences Division of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry is sponsoring a free laboratory-management conference in three cities. Each conference...

No room for error: preparing for 2005 lab/pathology coding changes.(Conferences)
November 1, 2004... "No Room for Error: Preparing for 2005 Lab/Pathology Coding Changes." New Medicare fee schedules take effect on Jan. 1, 2005, for clinical labs and doctors. In preparation, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004, Washington G-2 Reports features Diana Voorhees...

Flu season.(News)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Flu season. Because the U.S. supply of influenza vaccine was halved this flu season due to bacterial contamination in batches of Chiron Corp's Fluvirin product, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released special recommendations for...

DoD accelerates vaccine development.(News)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... DoD accelerates vaccine development. In response to the resurgence of adenovirus among military recruits since the termination of a vaccine program in 1996, a senior health official for the U.S. Department of Defense announced in October that...

MRSA infections on the rise.(Infectious Disease)(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... MRSA infections on the rise. As reported at the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2004 Annual Meeting held Sept. 30-Oct. 3, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection rates have risen sharply in recent years. Staph...

Medical lab of the year award.(The Observatory)(Medical Laboratory of the Year 2005 )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Medical Lab of the Year Award. It is not too early to consider entering MLO's annual competition, which allows medical laboratorians nationwide to demonstrate their contributions to quality patient care. The winner and two runners-up will be...

New NCBP website.(Bloodwork)(www.nationalcordblood program.org)
November 1, 2004... New NCBP website. In September, the National Cord Blood Program (NCBP) of the New York Blood Center debuted www.nationalcordblood program.org, its interactive website. The site is designed to educate patients and their families about cord blood...

TB: Keeping an ancient killer at bay.(tuberculosis)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... CONTINUING EDUCATION [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To earn CEUs, see test on page 20. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this article, the reader will be able to: 1. Describe multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and why...

Part II: Tumor markers from A to Z.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
November 1, 2004... In our final article on "Tumor markers from A to Z," we will discuss the clinical utility of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), CA 125, CA 19-9, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free PSA (fPSA), complexed PSA (cPSA), and delta PSA. We begin with AFP...

Resolving discordant samples in clinical laboratory practice.(LAB MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2004... The growing importance of the clinical laboratory in patient healthcare is evident from the fact that about 70% of medical decisions are now based on laboratory test results. (1) The role of the clinical laboratory, aided by advances in...

CEO Hakim's SCC Soft Computer stays ahead of the curve.(Executive forecast)(Interview)
November 1, 2004... MLO: Congratulations on SCC Soft Computer's (SCC's) 25th anniversary. Aside from taking the company's worth from zero to $60 million, what do you consider SCC's greatest achievement to date? Hakim: We have built this company on the belief...

Vendor bias.(Addressing management issues )
November 1, 2004... Q I have a department supervisor who has developed biases toward certain vendors and refuses to consider equipment manufactured by other vendors. When I force her to test equipment of a nonfavorite vendor, the trial invariably goes awry, and...

Job-accident report.(Addressing management issues)
November 1, 2004... Q I have an employee who may have "exaggerated" on a worker's compensation job accident. On the night of the accident, she played an aggressive game of softball, then worked that night and claimed a trip in the lab caused a torn medial meniscus...

Empowered laboratorians.(Addressing management issues)
November 1, 2004... Q In my opinion, most medical technologists sell themselves short personally and professionally. How can we encourage med techs to be "empowered laboratorians?" A Larry Crolla points out, "You need two key elements for empowerment to...

Atypical lymphocytes.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2004... Q Our menu for performing differentials on complete blood counts includes normal lymphs and reactive lymphs. Has the designation atypical lymphs been discontinued, only to be used in the past tense with students, or are there situations when it...

Clearing lipemic serum.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2004... Q Is it acceptable to clear lipemic serum in a high-speed centrifuge (13,000 rpm for 30 minutes seems to work well) in order to produce more accurate chemistry results? Some labs use ultracentrifuges for this purpose, but they require a large...

Low pH control.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2004... Q I am having a difficult time answering several questions on the CAP checklist for blood gases. At our hospital, it is not uncommon to have pHs in the 6.6 or 6.7 range. The blood-gas instrument has a measuring range of 6.3 to 8.0. I cannot...

To shred or not to shred?(Liability and the lab)
November 1, 2004... Q We are currently shredding any document with a patient name on it. Is this a necessary expense under HIPAA? A Now that HIPAA has been around for a while--and the hysteria has subsided a bit--institutions are legitimately re-examining...

Pure and simple: sterilization/decontamination.(Product focus)
November 1, 2004... Among the wide range of safety and health challenges involved in all laboratory tasks, none is more important than cleaning, decontaminating, and sterilizing protocols--essential for laboratorians to achieve accurate test results. Lab personnel...

Extra-large C[O.sub.2] incubator.(Industry spotlight)(Sheldon Manufacturing Inc. )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... SHEL LAB Model 2428 offers users 29 cu. ft. of incubation space, automated temperature control, and a sophisticated infrared sensor for instant C[O.sub.2] regulation. The unit has a stainless-steel interior, durable powder-coated exterior with...

Genomic DNA extraction.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Eppendorf Perfect gDNA Blood Mini Kit is designed for rapid, reproducible extraction of ultra-pure genomic DNA from blood samples (with normal anticoagulants) of 1 mL to 200 mL. The kit combines a highly efficient lysis of the source...

High-speed microcentrifuge.(Industry spotlight)(Spectrafuge 24D )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Brushless, quiet, and compact, the Spectrafuge 24D is a new high-speed microcentrifuge offering a high-capacity rotor for 1.5-mL or 2.0-mL tubes, which has been uniquely designed to facilitate loading and unloading of sample tubes. In addition,...

Stool antigen detection.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A rapid, one-step, qualitative test for the detection of H pylori antigens in human stool, the ImmunoCard STAT HpSA is intended to aid in the diagnosis of ulcers and chronic gastritis and to test for eradication of active infection following...

Whole RBC A1c control.(Industry spotlight)(red blood cells )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A whole-blood cellular control manufactured for instruments measuring HbA1c, the A1c-Cellular does not require reconstitution--eliminating the potential for human error. Available in two clinically significant levels, the control is packaged in...

New coagulation system.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The ACL TOP is a new high-volume, random-access coagulation analyzer designed to help reduce pre-analytical steps, speed testing processes, and improve turnaround time. With a throughput of up to 360 tests an hour, the system has the ability to...

New cholesterol calibrator.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Developed specifically for use with the simple and effective Direct HDL and LDL-Cholesterol Liqui-Color assays, the new Direct HDL/LDL-Cholesterol Calibrator provides accurate calibration for both these assays, while offering 21-day stability...

Determination of phospholipid.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The new Phospholipids B Assay utilizes an in vitro enzymatic colorimetric methodology in a simple one-step, direct determination of phospholipid content of serum and plasma. The assay offers within-run precision of 1.3% CV, 1.4%CV, and 1.4% CV...

Molecular test for L pneumophila.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Recently FDA cleared, the ProbeTec ET Legionella pneumophila DNA Amplified Assay is designed for the detection of L pneumophila (serogroups 1 to 14). Performing amplification and real-time detection in a one-hour assay format, this rapid...

Folks who drill together, save together.(Washington report)
November 1, 2004... The nation's public health system has been undergoing a quiet revolution. September 11, 2001, brought the country's attention to the roles of public safety agencies, such as fire and police departments, in protecting homeland security. Not much...