Balancing complexity, efficiency and outcomes in haemostasis testing

In specialist haemostasis laboratories, pressure is rarely about sheer test volume. Instead, the demands lie in managing a highly diverse test repertoire, supporting urgent clinical scenarios, and maintaining rigorous quality standards – all while contending with limited staff and space. These services are often central to complex diagnostic pathways, including thrombophilia investigations, platelet function testing, factor assays, and the monitoring of both inherited and acquired bleeding disorders.

To assess its suitability in such a high-complexity environment with moderate throughput demands, Stago, a multi-specialist in haemostasis and haematology, sent its sthemO 201 bench-top coagulation analyser to be evaluated by specialists at the at the Addenbrooke’s Hospital Specialist Haemostasis Unit laboratory in Cambridge. At the centre of this evaluation was the requirement for an analyser that could manage a diverse menu of coagulation assays without compromising operational efficiency. 

“We can have lots of different tests that may need to be run on an individual patient sample. So it’s not about volume – it’s about managing complexity”, said the laboratory’s lead evaluator Stephen MacDonald. “A typical day might involve screening for lupus anticoagulant, thrombophilia, running a full bleeding workup for an outpatient with unexplained heavy menstrual bleeding, supporting intraoperative management of patients with bleeding disorders undergoing cardiothoracic surgery, and confirming HIT in a critical care setting.