Saint Mary’s Chemistry laboratory is upgrading technology and workspace to better improve services for patients. The improvements include new lab equipment, as well as a redesign of the department which will improve workflow, maintenance, and turn-around times. This month the lab received new chemistry analyzers from Siemens, the Atellica solution. The new analyzers are scheduled to be validated and ready for the Epic Beaker Go-Live on May 4, 2024.
The Chemistry department is also excited to announce the acquisition of two new blood gas analyzers, the Radiometer ABL 90 Flex Plus, which goes live this month. The new analyzer can perform whole-blood analysis on blood gas and oximetry parameters. This analyzer would only need a sample volume of 65 microliters to get a full blood gas panel within only 35 seconds.
“We’re really excited about the upgraded features on the analyzers,” said Kadeem Thompson, Chemistry team lead. “We are most looking forward to having the maintenance feature, which will really impact how fast we do maintenance.”
In addition, the lab redesign involves repurposing and reusing laboratory furniture, which is a cost savings to the hospital and are environmentally friendly.
Laboratory Manager, Margaret Jenkins, said the “upgrade in Saint Mary’s laboratory is one more step in achieving our goal of optimal teamwork and great patient care.”