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Bangalore's St John's Hospital the First to Install Unicel Dxl 600
Unicel Dxl 600 is on a 24x7 vigil for immunodiagnostics
at Department of Clinical Biochemistry
Dr Sultana Furruqh |
St John's National Academy of Health Sciences (SJNAHS) at
Bangalore is the chosen platform in India for the first unit of Unicel Dxl 600
in the world, from Beckman Coulter. Unicel Dxl 600 is on a 24x7 vigil, for immunodiagnostics
at Department of Clinical Biochemistry, St. Johns Medical College Hospital.
Break that Myth
The myth that clinical automation is just a walk away system needs to be clarified.
According to IFCC, the keyword for a walkway system is 'feedback of information'.
The many screens associated with feedback info in Dxl 600 act as documentation
and transparent check list for the entire spectrum of the system ranging from
sample integrity check to the reading of the luminometer. Feedback data from
LJ plots with a QC comment facility, event log with details on alerts and error
detection, information and caution messages, inventory management at the touch
of a finger, all is available with this. Also the system check, which checks
the processing module for accurate and precise functioning of each individual
component of the patented technology of paramagnetic particle separation and
chemiluminescence forms the essence of the system transparency. The system allows
addition of both reagent and consumables during the run to meet increase in
load.
The following features of Unicel Dxl 600 were found to be very useful which
cater to the requirement of our laboratory:
- It enables fast release of tubes that allows the
lab to use the same tubes for testing on other instruments by way of patented
onboard refrigerated aliquot capability.
- Due to pack size of 50 tests, we could add in-house
testing of small volume parameter. This enables us to subject high and low
volume test to the same level of quality assurance under one platform. Also,
the consumables are packaged in large volumes to match the throughput.
- Unicel is compatible with reagent packs, liquid
stable calibrators, user interface screens, system operation with the Beckman
Coulter's access family analysers, which facilitates uniform patient results
when sharing of sample load between the instruments or improving TAT for results.
- Operator training protocols with systematic regular
updates is a salient feature of Beckman Coulter training facilities, for the
'eyes do not see what the mind does know'. In fact, the Technologist Education
Programme held recently at Evoma Center KR Puram, Bangalore solely for technicians
who form the backbone of the lab was greatly appreciated by the technicians
who attended the programme in India and Europe. The end users are comfortable
working with and understanding the feedback from the system.
- Another first-of-its-kind in India, at St John's
was on October 6, 2007, when the three Big B's of the diagnostic industry,
Beckman Coulter (associated with diagnostics), BioRad (associated with quality
control), Becton Dickenson (associated with vacutainers sample collection)
and sample handling came together at St John's to conduct a CME on Quality
Improvement in Immuno Diagnostics.
And, so the UniCel Dxl 600 with the identify and supremacy of clinical automation
in immunodiagnostics was chosen by St John's, India, while Beckman Coulter chose
St John's as the ultimate for the launch of UniCel Dxl 600.
The writer is Professor and Head Department of Biochemistry
& Incharge of Clinical Chemistry St John's Medical College Hospital Bangalore
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