FEATURE ARTICLES

Agenda for Change and the latest government pathology review are evolutionary pressures on pathology the effect of which will only become fully apparent with the passage of time. However, forewarned is forearmed, so Pathology û the real agenda will inform, update and advise.

Tissue processing changed little over the course of the last century until the introduction of microwave equipment into histopathology. Now, the technology that revolutionised work in the kitchen appears set to do the same in one of the oldest disciplines in pathology, as Sue Wollington explains.

Clinical Diagnostics and Water, Environmental and Industrial Analysis are the two divisions that comprise Manchester-based company Labmedics. Now, two decades of expertise has resulted in an international reputation.

The importance of erythrocyte sedimentation rate as a laboratory investigation is often overlooked, but it is one that clinicians use to judge the efficacy of certain forms of treatment. Thus, confidence in the test requires accurate control, as Peter Hooper explains.

Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust has just gone live with a modern, multisite blood transfusion system that exceeds expectations and offers unprecedented support for EU directives on haemovigilance and electronic vein-to-vein tracking. Dave Simm provides an overview.

The concept of extended leucocyte differentials in automated haematology has considerable appeal, with haematologists calling for the ability to bring extended differentials into routine practice. Here, Louise Nichols looks at current laboratory practice, the clinical significance of an extended differential and the Abbott CELL-DYN Sapphire.

Two of the main suppliers to the automated diagnostics market have joined forces in the south-west of England to provide a managed service and equip a combined laboratory facility.

Legal requirements that demand absolute traceability of each unit of blood and blood component means that an affordable, easily implemented system that provides compliance and additional document management capability is essential. Enter the Plumtree Group.

Convenience, time saved, health and safety benefits and improved workflow are just a few of the advantages that staff experience when using analysers that incorporate closed-tube sampling technology.

Few diagnostics manufacturers combine a state-of the-art facility with some of the most stunning scenery that Mother Nature can provide, yet DPC UK has done just that at Llanberis in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. However, there is substance behind the scenery.

After almost four months of meticulous planning, three hospital laboratories in the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust now have automated chemistry systems that set new standards in cost-effectiveness and efficiency and extend the benefits of high-throughput analysis.

Hospital-acquired infection is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in the clinical setting. Here, Fiona Macrae discusses some ways in which hospitals can assess and monitor the microbial cleanliness of critical areas.

Reduction of potential risks and greater cost efficiency are fundamental surgical ideals. Here, David Coates considers the benefits that can be provided for hip arthroplasty patients by the use of autologous blood transfusion.

The opening of state-of-the-art biomedical research and teaching laboratories will support current scientific research that now focuses on proteomics rather than genomics.

Asymptomatic hyperprolactinaemia due to macroprolactin, which is not bioactive in vivo, has prompted research on prolactin and the many commercially available immunoassays used to measure the hormone. Here, Veronique Jarrige provides an overview of implications for the laboratory.

Microbiologists at Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield, compare the efficacy of four selective MRSA media to produce specific, sensitive and rapid results.

Digital imaging and telemedicine have developed in leaps and bounds over the past decade. To get the best out of the technology, however, focused training in the latest techniques will pay dividends for the novice and experienced user alike.

Recent installation of three UF 100 automated urinanalysis instruments in hospitals in north-east England brings the UK total to 30. Here, two NHS Trusts provide an overview of their experiences.

KingÆs College Hospital began the hunt for a fully managed pathology service some two years ago. Thanks to close cooperation between the laboratory and two commercial organisations, the project is now approaching successful completion.

Ruling out the possibility of heart failure in the primary care setting using B-type type natriuretic peptide testing is proving cost-effective both for the GP and the laboratory. Hilda Crockett reports on the Northampton experience.