General Information

The Clinitest tablets are no longer available and Joint Commission and CAP have both changed there standards for testing of reducing substances in children. Babies are now screened for galactosemia through newborn screening. After reviewing the package insert for IRIS Velocity strips, it states positive glucose results should be further evaluated. We will be discontinuing our Clinitest once we run out of tablets but I am curious how other labs are handling this. Quest has a test available, but is there really a need to perform this test anymore?

How many places spin their urine QC and perform a microscopic exam? Do you do it daily? weekly? monthly? My big question though is this a CAP requirement. I can't find anywhere where it states that it is a requirement. I recently took over as supervisor and I don't know if we are doing this every day because we always have or because it's required. Thanks

After some recent research it would appear that most of the drug test kits out there will not pick up fentanyl in the opiate portion of the test kit. I'm trying to find out what other people are using/have found that will pick up fentanyl other than LC and Mass Spec.

Has anyone had trouble verifying the reference range for Chloride on the Siemens Dimensions. Thanks....

Acetest tablets are no longer available from Bayer. After some research, I find that a beta-hydroxybutyrate acid test is a better test anyway for screening for ketoacidosis in diabetics. What methods are out there to be used for a BHBA? Thanks, Scott

I understand that Bayer is no longer manufacturing the Clinitest tablets (as happend previously with their Acetest tablets). However, screening for reducing substances in children <1 yr with a negative urine glucose is required by CAP. What are everyone's plans for dealing with this new tablet shortage?

Did not sign up for ChemLabTalk newsletter. Only want BloodBankTalk. How do I stop receiving ChemLab Talk? Thanks.

We have been conforming every positive dipstick result for bilirubin with the ictotest forever. The ictotest is sometimes difficult to read and we're not sure which one to go with. Is it a requirement by Jacho? Is it still needed?

Hi there, I recently transitioned from a Blood Bank Supervisor position from a hospital to a promising Biotech career in Rheumatology/CTD as a Chem Lab Supervisor. It's been 3 weeks and I'm loving the transition. I was wondering if there's anyone out here who ho has experience with Quantalysers and Nova View. My department runs ANA, DsDNA, Hep2 , Anti C1Q, Ribo P , PSPT IGG/IGM ( PROGNOSTICS). All Elisa based assay. Our lab specializes in SLE Assessment , RA, Fibromyalgia and other CTD Diseases. Hope to hear from the experts here.Thanks.

Hi, I'm a Blood Banker - I need some chemistry help on a personal note. Does anyone know about, or have they observed, that people with hemolytic anemias have lowered serum cholesterol? My husband was recently diagnosed with Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. Right before it started, his fasting Total Cholesterol was 198mg/dL (we eat vegan - no dietary cholesterol). Right after he was diagnosed, it was 111. Once he was receiving treatment (prednisone) and his hemoglobin began to return to normal, his cholesterol was 146. In a Facebook support group for those with AIHA, there is another person who said their cholesterol decreased significantly post diagnosis. Some bri…

Is there a point of care IOPTH analyzer that is FDA cleared?

How are you addressing the CLIA requirment that point of care blood glucose monitors that are not specifically approved for critically ill patients are considered off label use which puts the testing in the high complexity category? There is only one monitor on the market that has been approved in this patient population.

Hi, does anyone has a blood smear exam training protocol/checklist which can email me for reference? Thanks. Here's my email: ccckz01@yahoo.com

Our phlebotomist will sometimes draw samples from an artery with a butterfly when ABGs are ordered along with other labs. We are concerned with the empty space in the vacutainer tubes even if filled to the recommended draw volume. Just wondering what other labs may do in this situation?

Our institution has been fine-tuning protocols for suspected ebola patients and one of the hot topics has been point of care testing. I thought it might be interesting to hear how other institutions are handling this topic.

I am not really sure where to post this question but it comes for our Chemistry lab so I thought this would be a good place to start. Does anyone recycle used urine cups and jugs? We have been told that unless blood is visible, urine can be emptied in the sink and the containers can be recycled. One of our concerns is how to protect HIPAA info. We want to be good lab citizens but peeling off all those labels or blacking them out is not feasible. Any feedback is appreciated.

How soon do you draw chemistry test after a patient receives blood? If doc insists patient be drawn do you comment on the specimen.

The Viapath Innovation Academy holds two symposia a year to provide a forum for strong peer-to-peer communication on developments within pathology and across the wider healthcare community. This free to download, three part series is based on material from the academy on the topics of vitamin B12 deficiency, fecal calprotectin and biogenic amines. http://bit.ly/1ognutk

1. I am trying to establish my own control ranges (Bio rad 1,2,3) What are the steps? What are the supporting documents for CLIA inspector? Help? 2. I have a physician who is questioning our TSH result. The common complaint I get is it was 2.0 two days ago at a different lab how come I get 4.3 two days later in your lab. I looked at the controls, calibration, proficiency results, peer group data... How can I educate or convince him? Thank you

Is there an efficient way to handle requests for faxing results. In a stat lab these requests are very disruptive and time consuming for the bench tech without any clerical help available.

I work in a laboratory that does drug screening for drugs of abuse for clients that are either going through rehab or pain management. Our lab supervisor has made it a rule that we are suppose to calibrate and QC every single assay we do. Not only is that such a pain in the rear having to load all those multipoint cals but isn't there such a thing as over-calibration? But he has it set in his mind that we cannot release patient results unless we calibrate and QC every day. Is there any material out there that discusses this topic?

HI, I was wondering if anyone had a pdf file or ppt presentation that discussed Westgard rules in detail. I was also wondering what software people used to review QC data in their laboratories. My former lab would review QC data in Centralink. My second question is, does the software come with preset Westgard rules or do you have to set those up yourself? Does failing a Westgard rule mean that you cannot run patient samples?

I was wondering if anyone here worked for Quest or CPL. I had a question about patient samples. I was under the impressions that they these companies had collection facilities were phlebos drew patient blood and then the blood was sent out to a laboratory site. What kind of processing has to be done to the patient samples if they are going to be sent out? Especially if stuff like PTINR is ordered which is only stable for 4 hours, I am assuming that the plasma must be separated from the cells and frozen.

SelectScience will shortly be hosting a free webinar on overcoming the challenges of LC/MS/MS for clinical applications. I am inviting questions from scientists who are using this technology currently, or for anyone who is considering implementing LC/MS/MS in the near future. The webinar will discuss 3 case studies, aldosterone in plasma, urine pain panels, and vitamin D in plasma. If you are interested in attending, please contact me here or email me at Sonia@selectscience.net. If you are unable to attend, you can let me know your question and I will put it forward during the live Q&A. The webinar is IBMS CPD credit-rated.

How do other labs handle "just in case" extra specimens. We continually receive specimens with no orders...blood cultures, urine specimens, tubes of blood. We were keeping a log sheet of these specimens that included who we called about orders, time called, location, computer search, tech, etc. This has become a nightmare. Dire insight is needed on how other labs handle extra specimens. Thanks in advance, Dawn Arnett, MT Kings Daughters Health