Medical Laboratory Observer articles from November 2006

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from November 2006

Random moments of thanksgiving.(Editorial)
November 1, 2006... An e-mail just arrived for me, as well as for an old buddy now living in Japan. Its author, a college friend of ours, announced he has found a "retirement watering hole" in Williamsburg. This prompted his reminiscence of a night 20 years ago...

Never too safe.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... In their article, "Quality Collection: the phlebotomist's role in pre-analytical errors" [MLO, September 2006, p.30], Dennis Ernst and Lisa O. Ballance address the many possible errors that may occur before, during, and after the blood...

Saved by a sliver.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Here are some thoughts on the September 2006 MLO article entitled, "Quality collection: the phlebotomist's role in pre-analytic errors." The authors state that "up to 16% of identification bracelets contain erroneous information." While this...

E coli update.(Global diseases)
November 1, 2006... E coli update. As of Oct. 6, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported 199 cases of Escherichia coli linked to spinach from Natural Selection Foods of San Juan Bautista, CA, resulting in 102 hospitalizations and three deaths. Other...

Mysterious illness.(Global diseases)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Mysterious illness. Puzzled Panamanian experts witnessed a recent outbreak of a deadly, unidentified disease. As of Oct. 5, 18 people have died from the illness. Investigations have revealed kidney and nervous tissue damage that is indicative...

Dengue dilemma.(Global diseases)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Dengue dilemma. The recent epidemic of dengue, a mosquito-borne hemorrhagic fever, has resulted in 22 deaths and more than 3,000 infections in Delhi, India. Also known as "break-bone" fever, the illness causes flu-like symptoms, debilitating...

Carrot juice recall.(News)(Earthbound Farm Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Carrot juice recall. A Florida woman and three people in Georgia are on ventilators after drinking botulism-tainted carrot juice. Additionally, two people in Toronto were also poisoned and remain paralyzed. The following brands have been linked...

Medicare bidding demo scheduled.(News)
November 1, 2006... Medicare bidding demo scheduled. Medicare's long-awaited competitive-bidding demonstration will be conducted on April 1, 2007. The demonstration applies to independent clinical-laboratory services that are payable under Part B. A second...

Video games to cure cancer.(News)
November 1, 2006... Video games to cure cancer. Playstation 3 users can soon donate their processing power to scientific research. Sony and Stanford University's Folding@home project have created an application that breaks huge processing tasks into smaller units,...

Conferences and audioconferences.(The Observatory)(Brief article)(Calendar)
November 1, 2006... * Dec. 4-6. The 2006 National Environmental Public Health Conference, presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel. Topics will cover biomonitoring, laboratory science and service,...

DNA bar code: screening methods of colorectal cancer.(Cover story)
November 1, 2006... CONTINUING EDUCATION To earn CEUs, see test on page 22. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this article, the reader will be able to: 1. Cite current risk statistics for the development of colorectal cancer. 2....

Investigating elevated potassium values.(CLINICAL ISSUES)(Pseudohyperkalemia )
November 1, 2006... One of the most frequently asked questions regarding phlebotomy is, why are the potassiums high? The answer involves a variety of factors, which can have a significant impact on the care of a patient. When an abnormally high value exists, it...

Lab evaluation of chemical and biological terrorism.(LAB MANAGEMENT)(mass spectrometry)
November 1, 2006... The potential role for clinical and public-health laboratories for identification of the agents and organisms of terrorism is vital. Laboratories are likely first responders because time to identify and counter such threats is critical to...

A healthy transfusion of service from Wyndgate and Dr. Ruxin.(Executive snapshot)(positive patient identification, Wyndgate Technologies)
November 1, 2006... Meeting standards: Our company supports important standard-setting initiatives on multiple levels--with involvement for more than a decade with ISBT 128 technical advisory groups responsible for defining the labeling standard and in ongoing...

The dos and don'ts of cross-training.(EDUCATION)
November 1, 2006... As a medical technologist, chances are you (like me) are probably over 40, have been working in the field 15 to 20 years, and have probably been at your current job five years. Yes, over those years, we have trained on many different pieces of...

Techs do not want to work hard.(Addressing management issues)
November 1, 2006... Q I am lab manager of a 400-bed hospital that does about 1.5 million tests per year; we run 24/7. We are a Level 2 trauma center, perform open-heart surgery, and have a blood bank. Problem? The more help I give and the easier I make it for my...

Creative staffing or hiring practices.(Addressing management issues)
November 1, 2006... Q I manage a clinical lab in a for-profit hospital and we operate very lean. Techs who have worked here for 15 to 20 years recall the days when they worked every fifth or sixth weekend. Now, the core techs are working every other weekend. We...

Criteria for identifying bands.(Answering your questions)(band neutrophils)
November 1, 2006... Q We are having a difficult time in our facility establishing general consensus of when to call a band a band. We have over-calling and under-calling. Some facilities in the area are eliminating differentiating a band at all. I realize that...

PFA-100 platelet function analyzer.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2006... Q What is the Dade Behring PFA-100 platelet function analyzer? What does it measure? What if the patient is on anti-platelet drugs? What is its application in head trauma injury? A The Dade Behring PFA-100 platelet function analyzer is used...

Urine reflex testing.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2006... Q Please advise regarding reflex testing in urinalysis. Our present methodology calls for a microscopic if any of the dipstick chemistry is positive and if the color is not clear. This results in 60% to 70% of microscopic to be performed. If...

What constitutes "accommodating" a disabled employee?(Liability and the lab)(regulations for disabled)
November 1, 2006... Q We have a technologist who has had some difficulty with carpal tunnel syndrome who says she needs to avoid keyboarding. She has a dictating program at home and wants to use it here at the hospital to help with data entry and report writing....

Verify and track specimens.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... PatientSafe Proof Positive Phlebotomy is a specimen-tracking and--verification system designed to prevent matching errors before they happen. The phlebotomist starts the specimen-collection process by scanning the patient's wristband. Once...

Closed blood-collection system.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... S-Monovette is a closed blood-collection system that allows the user to collect blood according to the individual patient or the condition of the veins, using either the aspiration or the vacuum principle. The gentle aspiration technique has...

Phlebotomy education videos.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... The Applied Phlebotomy video series consist of three videotapes, each reflecting the most current CLSI standards and OSHA guidelines. "Basic Venipuncture" demonstrates venipunctures using tube holders, syringes, and winged blood collection...

Comprehensive phlebotomy course.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... This Phlebotomy course is intended to develop knowledge as well as practical experience with our phlebotomy training devices. Some course topics include phlebotomy's role in healthcare, anatomy and physiology of the circulatory system, safety...

Economical IV trainer.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... Phlebotomy students need to practice their technique. The Better Positioning IV Trainer makes it possible for the student to practice technique repeatedly until they become proficient. The trainer attaches to the arm, creating a real-life draw...

Minimize the risk of needle sticks.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... The Unolok Plus infusion set and the Vaku-8 Plus blood-collection set reduces the risk of an accidental needle stick with a shielded needle that requires only one hand to activate, maximizes wing flexibility, and stays covered throughout the...

Realistic venipuncture learning tool.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... The Advanced Venipuncture Training Aid 365 permits the injection of fluids and the drawing of blood while allowing users to improve competency and technique by progressing from easier, larger veins to the more difficult, smaller veins. The...

Gentle infant blood sampling.(Product focus: Phlebotomy)
November 1, 2006... Nicky and Little Nicky transform a heel stick into a heel nick, a term that embodies the tenderness and safety with which this device performs infant blood sampling. Unlike traditional lancets, Nicky and Little Nicky slice the skin...

Complete thyroid line.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2006... An FDA-cleared line of Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg Microwell ELISA kits are available as part of a complete line of anti-thyroid microwell products. Both kits utilize the same procedure, and one sample dilution can be used for both tests. ...

No off-line pre-treatment.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2006... Liquid Select LDL is a homogeneous completely automated direct LDL test for use on clinical chemistry analyzers. It measures LDL cholesterol levels in serum or plasma while eliminating the need for any off-line pretreatment or centrifugation...

Disinfectant towelettes.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2006... One-step cleaning and disinfecting of all lab surfaces is now available. PATH-WIPES disposable towelettes come in a convenient canister. Effective against HIV-1, herpes simplex 2, and staphylococcus. Ideal for lab telephones, keyboards, writing...

One-tube test.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2006... The BD FACSCanto II Flow Cytometry System for in vitro diagnostics (IVD) use supports the first six-color flow cytometry IVD application for routine HIV/AIDS monitoring. This bench-top analyzer uses a highly efficient one-tube test and offers...

Middleware solution.(Industry spotlight)(medical software)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... The Instrument Manager version 8.05 includes several new and redesigned features to help labs work with greater efficiency. It includes an improved specimen-management user interface, adds support for data mining through ODBC, (open database...

Improve automated liquid delivery.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2006... The enhancements to MVS (Multichannel Verification System) help laboratories improve quality in automated liquid-delivery processes for high-throughput screening, compound management, and other advanced applications. It is capable of rapid,...

Fast heat-up/ cool-down.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2006... The Clarus 600 series gas chromatograph (GC) delivers fast combined heat-up and cool-down rates. This product enables labs to reduce analytical cycle times as well as improve sample throughput. It also addresses the needs of the full spectrum...

Reaction-free processing.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2006... Analytical instruments rely on clean sample and reagent fluid paths in order to produce accurate results. Fluoropolymer lined probes provide an inert, consistent fluid path which allows for reaction-free processing. They are available in a wide...

What HR 686 means to American patients.(Washington report)
November 1, 2006... The safety of our medical laboratories is one of the most vital issues facing our healthcare system today. A full 70% of medical decisions are affected by lab results. Almost every American undergoes testing at some point, relying on the...