Medical Laboratory Observer articles from September 2007

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from September 2007

Cheers!(From the editor)
September 1, 2007... Those of us who grew up at the end of the great radio era fondly recall the famous comedians whose wit was not lost on even children. Remember Fred Allen's tongue-twisting "I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal...

Oh, my achin' feet.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2007... I cannot believe all of the bad press "Crocs" is receiving for such a comfortable and terrific shoe! I also can't believe so many "hospital safety officers" are debating over the wear of the "Crocs" shoes in hospitals. Being a hospital lab...

Can we do better? Yes.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2007... Your article on "Credentials: What do they really mean?" (May 2007, p. 44) did not fully address the certifications available to graduates of laboratory training programs. Ms. [Wendy] Miller omitted the certifications offered by AMT (American...

Walking the floor at AACC.(American Association of Clinical Chemistry)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company, took a "step-by-step" approach--literally--to advance diabetes care at this year's meeting of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) and the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science...

TB traveler questioning quarantine.(Infectious diseases)(National Jewish Memorial Hospital)(tuberculosis)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta attorney who gained fame by traveling abroad to his wedding allegedly knowingly carrying extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), is speaking out against his forced detainment at the National Jewish Memorial...

Asia slammed by Dengue fever.(Infectious diseases)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Associated Press reports the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the entire Asian region to prepare for the worst outbreak of the Dengue fever in nearly a decade. Outbreaks run in cycles, occurring roughly every four years. The...

Former Chinese official executed.(News)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... After international validation of numerous deadly product exports from China, the former head of that country's food-and-drug watchdog was put to death in July. The official was sentenced to death in May for taking bribes to approve poor...

Conferences.(The Observatory)(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... Sept. 19-20. LabWize (Educational Society) hosts the "best practices for laboratory and clean-room design" conference in Seattle. Several in-the-know experts will present at the two-day event, covering topics such as laboratory energy savings,...

Molecular Dx vs. "superbugs" & "superdrugs": how dynamic R & D is cleaning up hospitals.(Cover story)
September 1, 2007... CONTINUING EDUCATION To earn CEUs, see test on page 22. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this article the reader will be able to: 1. Define the term hospital-acquired, healthcare-associated, or nosocomial infection. ...

Trends in cardiac markers.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
September 1, 2007... Early detection of ACS "The early detection of myocardial damage remains critical for the management of patients presenting to the ED with chest pain and signs of acute coronary syndrome. The new generation of cardiac troponin (cTn) assays...

The "ultimate sales machine": 7 ways to increase your lab's sales productivity.(LAB MANAGEMENT)
September 1, 2007... The Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) has a tag line that says: "the ultimate driving machine." Indeed, their cars are almost always rated, if not number one, within the top two or three in every driving evaluation test by auto magazines such as Car...

Weiss leads Biotest from nature to launch.(Executive snapshot)(Biotest Diagnostics Corp.)
September 1, 2007... Prepare for launch. Biotest's U.S. business was established with the introduction of high-quality instruments and reagents designed for both the industrial microbiology market, air samplers, and particle-counting instruments, and the clinical...

Documenting procedures: just do it! (the right way).(EDUCATION)
September 1, 2007... Laboratories must document their procedures--there is no way around it. Whether you must comply with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations or are seeking accreditation to International Organization for Standardization...

Telepathology: revolution or evolution?(SPECIAL FEATURE: DIGITAL PATHOLOGY)
September 1, 2007... Many view telepathology as one of the next revolutionary steps in diagnostics workflow, and believe that eventually and inevitably, telepathology will do the same for diagnostics as teleradiology (which electronically transmits radiographic...

Intranet procedures only; no bench manual.(Addressing management issues)
September 1, 2007... Q All procedures in our hospital and in our lab soon will be put on an intranet and no longer will be available at the bench. As it is, we tape small notes on counters to help us remember how much diluent to use to dilute the controls, or how...

Employee needs to improve.(Addressing management issues)
September 1, 2007... Q As a new manager who moved up from assistant laboratory coordinator, I just issued a verbal warning for one of my employees. This follows discussions we have had in the past regarding some of the issues in my verbal warning. I was able to...

Reporting smudge cells in CLL.(Answering your questions)(chronic lymphocytic leukemia)
September 1, 2007... Q We are having a bit of a difference of opinion in our hematology laboratory regarding the handling of white blood cells (WBCs) morphology in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. We routinely make blood smears from CLL patients using...

Confirmation of critical POCT glucose.(Answering your questions)(point of care testing)
September 1, 2007... Q We are a small 40-bed hospital with a laboratory that is staffed Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. We take calls after regular business hours. Point-of-care testing (POCT) falls under the laboratory. My question concerns critical values...

Hemolysis and short samples on coagulation tests.(Answering your questions)
September 1, 2007... Q What is the latest research data on the effects of hemolysis and short samples on coagulation tests? A The complexity of coagulation and the sophistication of coagulation analytical methods render coagulation testing among the most prone...

Brushing teeth before fasting glucose.(Answering your questions)
September 1, 2007... Q An OB physician has asked about the glucose-tolerance test. He instructs his patient to fast for 12 hours and not to eat or drink anything, not even water. He also instructs them not to brush their teeth. I could not find anything specific as...

Lost specimens.(Liability and the lab)
September 1, 2007... Q We recently got a call from a physician's office asking about results on a specimen we never received. In fact, we did not even know that something was submitted until that office called several days later asking for results. The physician's...

Cost-effective solution.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)
September 1, 2007... FFlex eSuite is a suite of Web-based LIS solutions that scales easily to provide state-of-the-art technology to the smallest physician office or the most complex multiple-facility lab. Because each lab has its own unique requirements, FFlex...

Unsurpassed support.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)
September 1, 2007... The LabDAQ LIS is a trusted source of information by physicians and laboratory professionals. LabDAQ offers continuous product improvements and commitment to product support. LabDAQ software is configured to meet the specific needs of each lab,...

New features and upgrades.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(Harvest LIS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Harvest LIS version 7.5 is now available and includes many new features and enhancements. Improved result delivery rules provide more flexibility in creating rules for delivering patient reports. During order entry, all-new insurance management...

Versatility, speed, and power.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... LabNet LIS is a Windows NT client-server system that combines ease of use with the versatility, power, and high-speed volume required to meet the most demanding lab needs. Designed by industry experts, LabNet is structured to make generating...

Operational efficiency.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... This high-performance laboratory information system manages specimen data from requisition entry through specimen tracking to final cumulative-report production. This highly flexible, customizable solution allows clients to create a custom...

Streamline workflow.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... NOVIUS Lab is a culmination of several years' experience with client-server technology, incorporating functionality to help streamline workflow, increase operational efficiency, and help with staff retention. Flexible, user-friendly patient...

User-configurable.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... A new wireless remote monitoring system is available for proper storage and data monitoring in the lab. Data, such as temperature of refrigerators and freezers, is continually monitored and recorded order to obtain and maintain compliance and...

FDA-cleared for blood banks.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(Food and Drug Administration )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Instrument Manager v8.05 for blood-banking environments and transfusion centers in the United States is now FDA-cleared. It is a comprehensive middleware system for managing lab operations, including pre-analytical, and post-analytical sample...

Control lab data.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... CSSWIN is a true 32-bit Windows application with the ability to take advantage of all the power and flexibility of Windows and the ability to achieve control over laboratory data. Open database connectivity (ODBC) compliance means the ability...

Automate workflow.(Product focus: Laboratory information systems)(SCC Soft Computer)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... This comprehensive Genetics Information Systems Suite offers a full range of genetics tools to automate workflow. Utilizing up-to-date technologies, the suite of products are Web-accessible. The software modules function as comprehensive,...

New longer design.(Industry spotlight)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The new, longer design of the Terminal Pipet Keeper now allows disposal of contaminated pipets, swabs, and other long items up to 15" in length right at the workstation. Interlocking top and reclosable flaps are easy to use. Disposable and made...

Horizontal separation.(Industry spotlight)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The C5 Centrifuge spins test tubes up to 16.5 x 128 mm at speeds up to 5,000 rpms with microprocessor speed control. G-forces up to 4,000 g's will produce platelet-poor plasma in minutes. Rubber feet prevent slipping; impact-resistant lid with...

Same-day diagnosis.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... Laboratories can achieve same-day routine histoprocessing with twice the productivity capacilities of conventional tissue processing with the Histos 3, Histos 5, and Histos Pro Rapid Microwave histoprocessors. For transplant biopsies,...

Deepwell 96 and 384.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... The introduction of Deepwell 96 and 384 plates means maximizing recovery of valuable samples and minimizing contamination risk with the RecoverMax design. Easy-to-read OptiTrack alphanumeric coding eases ID of individual wells and reduces...

Allergy tests: fast, easy, efficient.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... The HY*TEC 288 Automated Immunosassy System offers walk-away convenience as well as fast, easy, and efficient allergy testing and simultaneous processing of total and specific IgE. This allergen menu is the largest commercially available. ...

Secondary antibodies.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... High-quality, labeled secondary antibodies are now available for use in single- and double-labeling experiments, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA), detection assays, and Western blotting...

New, improved HbA1c reagent.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... Direct HbA1c reagent has been improved and shows minimal sensitivity loss of the combined R2 reagent on-board a chemistry analyzer, and results in less-frequent calibrations. All current instrument applications from the company for its HbA1c...

An option for low-volume labs.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... The Clarus 560 D Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) now offers another option for lower-volume lab's routine application needs by combining diffusion-pump capabilities on the high-end Clarus 600 D MS with the robust Clarus 500 GC,...

Monitor performance.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... The OptiChallenge Inhibition Panel is a convenient and cost effective tool for a lab to monitor the performance of a testing system in the presence of interfering substances. Use to evaluate manufacturers, characterize home-brew assays, meet...

Capture images.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... The Macro PATH Digital Imaging System is a user-oriented capture/storage system created to support macroscopic descriptions of digitized real-life or close-up macro specimen images. Reduces specimen turnaround time and provides diagnostic...

Processing solutions.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... A range of standard and customizable platforms--AutoSorter I, II, and III--provide reliable, robust automation solutions for medium-volume labs. Sorting; aliquoting; decapping/capping; thawing/mixing; and archive storage/retrieval are available...

Enhanced grinding.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... Ultra Disposable Tissue Grinders provide the efficiency of ground glass with the safety and cost effectiveness of a patented closed disposable system. The grinders feature a vitrified, silica-cast pestle that provides enhanced grinding action...

Sanitize surfaces.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... The modular, non-toxic, in-line SteriPulse-XL Surface Sanitization System employs pulsed UV light kills DNA and prevents microorganisms from replicating on virtu- ally any surface or package. This non-contact system typically generates less...

Clinical catalog.(Industry spotlight)
September 1, 2007... A new Product and Services catalog is now available, featuring urinalysis, general and specialty chemistry controls, whole blood, electrophoresis systems, and diagnostic assays. Readers can receive this company's catalog by request (use MLO's...

Public-health labs and the 110th Congress.(Washington report)
September 1, 2007... Public-health laboratories rely on federal support for the development and preservation of their capability and capacity to provide diagnostic services in support of "public health." This support comes primarily from the Centers for Disease...