Sepsis And The Hematology Laboratory

An affordable, widely available test can impact today`s biggest healthcare challenge.

Sepsis, the inflammatory response to infection, is quickly becoming one of the biggest healthcare problems worldwide. No matter the perspective one takes, the numbers are staggering. Currently the number of diagnosed cases per year in the United States is at least 750,000; some estimates surpass one million. Worldwide mortality estimates are as high as 20 percent, and thus we are dealing with one of the biggest drivers of mortality in modern medicine. Sepsis kills nearly as many people as heart attack, HIV, and breast cancer combined.

Viewed from the perspective of health economics, the average in-hospital cost per case is approximately $20,000 dollars, and yearly estimates of sepsis-related expenses in the U.S. alone exceed $20 billion.

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Source: MedicalLaboratoryObserver

Current Approaches For The Detection Of Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury is a recognized complication in hospitalized patients and is associated with a high morbidity and high mortality. This brief article aims to summarize the need for early detection of acute kidney injury and the current approach within NHS England to identify such patients.

Background

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a recognized complication in hospitalized patients. A report in 2009 from National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) suggested that AKI was frequently undetected in hospital patients thus contributing to patient morbidity and mortality.

Clinical guidelines for recognition and treatment for acute kidney injury were published by NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) in 2013 and reported an associated mortality with AKI of more than 25–30%. This guideline also recognized the prevalence of AKI in the primary care population in patients with or without acute illness.

NICE also recognized the impact of AKI on healthcare resources, with costs (excluding those in the community) of £434–620 million per year, more than that associated with breast, lung and skin cancer combined.

Read more: Current Approaches For The Detection Of Acute Kidney Injury

Table 1. Common causes of acute kidney injury.

Source: cli-online

Current Approaches for the Detection of Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a recognized complication in hospitalized patients. A report in 2009 from National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) suggested that AKI was frequently undetected in hospital patients thus contributing to patient morbidity and mortality. Clinical guidelines for recognition and treatment for acute kidney injury were published by NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) in 2013 and reported an associated mortality with AKI of more than 25–30%. This guideline also recognized the prevalence of AKI in the primary care population in patients with or without acute illness. NICE also recognized the impact of AKI on healthcare resources, with costs (excluding those in the community) of £434–620 million per year, more than that associated with breast, lung and skin cancer combined

AKI is characterized by an acute loss of the kidney’s excretory capacity leading to accumulation of waste products such as urea and creatinine, and decreased urine output. It is associated with rapid decline in glomerular filtration rate and increases in potassium, phosphate and hydrogen ions. It has varied causes and may be secondary to a non-renal event, thus may be common in hospitalized patients and critically ill patients. It may go undetected in primary care as it can occur without any symptoms. There are associations between co-morbidities, current medications, acute illness and AKI resulting in the high morbidity associated with the condition and the impact on healthcare resources.

Read more: Current Approaches for the Detection of Acute Kidney Injury

Source: cli-online

Simplify Residual Renal Function (RRF) Estimation

Determination and monitoring of RRF has been a long-standing challenge for laboratories. Unreliable, labor-intensive urine collection and complex equations have made accurate measurement and reporting problematic.

Siemens N Latex BTP assay is the first marker to accurately, reliably, and simply estimate RRF status with one serum sample.

Read more:  Simplify Residual Renal Function (RRF) Estimation

"BTP provides a promising blood measure of RRF that could facilitate existing recommendations to
integrate regular assessment of RKF.

Source:healthcare/siemens

CLIA and regulatory readiness: How can your lab always be ready?

Much has been written about laboratory regulations and the regulatory process. Why publish another article now? Changes to the healthcare environment in the United States over the past few years have left hospitals and laboratories asking questions about resources. How does the laboratory continue to provide quality service to patients and practitioners while reimbursements decrease? How do regulatory requirements fit into this same picture? How can the laboratory stay ahead of new regulations?

Many laboratories do maintain readiness throughout the inspection cycle. These facilities share common traits. This article will identify success strategies when dealing with regulatory compliance. In general, these strategies fall into three categories: 1) knowledge, 2) awareness, and 3) good management practices.

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Source: aapc

The Future of Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

How Innovative Approaches Can Help Reduce Mortality from One of the Deadliest Diseases Worldwide

The management of lung cancer, which in many cases is a deadly disease, is likely to change in the near future as the field adopts new strategies for diagnosis and treatment. A more fine-grained and stepwise approach to screening, and pharmaceutical and surgical innovations could help to fight the disease.

Read more: Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)

Source: HealthcareSiemens

A clinical look at the future of pathology

Rapid change has become a defining feature of pathology – but can this change power a new generation of laboratory software to shape the role of the clinical laboratory of the future?

It will come as no surprise to those in the clinical laboratory and pathology field that the market is undergoing rapid change. In recent decades health expectations have risen globally, with all member states of the World Health Organisation committed to working towards universal health coverage worldwide.

The proper scaling of pathology services is key to this growth, as pathology is involved in 70% of all healthcare diagnoses. If the pathology market follows the compound annual growth rate of 6.8% from 2014 to 2020 as predicted in a new study by market analysts Grand View Research1, then the global market for clinical laboratories is expected to reach US$149 billion by 2020.

Along with the rise of universal healthcare, other factors are driving change in the pathology market. These include an aging population and the rising prevalence of chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes. We are also seeing an upsurge of new testing methods to support initiatives such as personalized medicine, also known as genomic medicine, and point-of-care testing.

Read more: A clinical look at the future of pathology

Source: shutterstock

Six Signs to be a Biomedical Lab Tech

You’ve always been the type of person who takes a painstaking amount of time to make sure the details are correct and meticulously recorded. You’re a multitasking whiz who enjoys order and routine in your life. Wouldn’t it be great if you could find a career that capitalized on all of these characteristics?

It’s important to make sure that your personality and natural gifts align with the profession you pursue. You’ll be happy to hear that a medical lab tech career might be right up your alley! This will allow you to join the fast-growing healthcare field while still getting to work a technical, behind-the-scenes job.

If this seems like an ideal option for you, keep reading to see if you have what it takes to launch a successful medical lab tech (MLT) career!

6 Signs you’re cut out for a medical lab tech career

We spoke with Tammy Renner, Rasmussen College’s national MLT program director and 33-year MLT veteran, to identify some common characteristics that the best MLT’s share. See how many describe you!

1. You’ve always loved science

MLTs usually have a strong background in chemistry, biology and physiology. Specifically, knowledge of tissues and cells is required, as is an expert understanding of chemical compositions and interactions.

Read more: Six Signs to be a Biomedical Lab Tech

Source: rasmussen