Abstract
Recently, increasing coagulation test volume and tight personnel budgets have increased interest in automated coagulation analyzers (1). The first coagulation instrument, the Fibrometer (Becton Dickinson), used a moving electrode to detect the clot. This brought some degree of standardization to the reading of the clotting endpoint, but this method was labor-intensive. The next phase in instrumentation was semiautomation. These instruments had storage and delivery capabilities for reagents, but manual pipetting was required for the samples. Examples of semiautomated instruments include the Coag-A-Mate X-2 (General Diagnostics) (2) and early models of the MLA (Medical Laboratory Automation). The current generation of coagulation instrumentation is fully automated. Their capabilities include primary tube sampling, automatic rerun and dilution capabilities, and clotting, chromogenic, and immunologic methodologies (3). Examples of this type of instrumentation include the MDA (bioMerieux), STA-R (Diagnostica Stago), AMAX (Sigma Diagnostics), BCS (Dade Behring), and the Sysmex CA-6000 (Dade International) (4). We summarize our technical evaluation of the STA-R. The evaluation addressed several issues, including ease of operation, methodologies available, reagent and patient sample on-board capabilities, ability to perform automatic dilutions, and validation of performance. The STA-R has robotic capabilities and uses clotting, chromogenic, and immunologic assays. It is an open system with room for 220 patient tubes and 75 positions for reagents. Approximately 360 prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) tests can be run per hour. The analyzer makes automatic dilutions, reruns samples, and processes STAT samples without interrupting current testing. The system uses Windows NT software and is interfaced. Maintenance includes a daily assessment of the condensation trap and wiping of the touch screen. The instrument is left on 24 h a day, so there is no extra start-up time involved. Weekly maintenance requires up to 30 min. The touch-screen monitor allows easy access to all applications needed …
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
