Airclic in The News
Mobile specimen tracking
What’s the buzz on specimen collection and transport? Two words: color coding. Color coding in labs is extremely useful when used to distinguish between different types of testing. Color provides a visual clue that works faster than text alone. By adding color coding to barcode labels, you can speed up storage and retrieval time, eliminate human errors, and reduce the risk of lost samples for overall increased employee efficiency and productivity.
George Scholl
Business Development Specialist
Electronic Imaging Materials
Maker of Durable Laboratory Barcode Labels
Labels at the bedside
Printing bar-coded specimen labels at the bedside is a trend that has been slow to catch on. Labs are beginning to realize positive patient-identification systems that print bar-coded labels at the bedside are more than just label printers for test tubes. These systems not only improve patient safety for blood, they also can be used for anatomic-pathology samples, improve turnaround time, improve quality assurance, and streamline all specimen collection not just phlebotomy. Positive patient-identification systems will also help healthcare facilities use IT in a “meaningful way,”giving them an opportunity for incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid.
Gregory Francis
President
Korchek Technologies
Maker of CareChek XP-Specimen Collection
Old favorite, bar codes, lead lab specimen ID to future
Bar codes, in use since 1970, have labs quickly learning these could be the epicenter for streamlining lab processes and progressing into the future of patient safety, therapy development, and workplace efficiency. Durable barcoded labels provide clear, readable identification that withstands processing — coupled with automated scanning of a specimen —labs can benefit from chain-of-custody tracking, immediate LIMS/LIS data input, and a significant reduction of errors due to manual entry. Bar coding also promotes the LEAN processing technique of work-cell single-piece flow specimen handling, which improves efficiency by eliminating waste from batch-and match errors and reduces the time spent waiting for batches to finish. Unique specimen ID and bar coding promote database sharing initiatives by standardizing information and patient/participant information. There is no gray area — bar codes protect patients and identify specimens to eliminate waste, advance R&D, and improve efficiencies in the lab.
Nicole Nelson, MBA
Market Manager – Lab and Healthcare
Brady Corp
Provider of automated specimen ID and tracking solutions
More flexibility in tissue processing
Outreach laboratories are becoming more aware of the liability and exposure involved with specimen transportation every day. By being held accountable for the safety of all specimens, labs are now seeing the importance of electronically tracking specimens — especially irreplaceable specimens. One lost biopsy not only can result in the loss of profits but also can expose a lab to a legal nightmare. Manually tracking specimens is no longer considered to be efficient or accurate as technology has greatly increased productivity and helped optimize outreach programs. More and more, labs are now seeing the value in streamlining their logistics department by electronically tracking specimens.
Dave Taylor, President
Taylor Data Systems
Maker of Medical Courier Elite
Five rights of laboratory testing
Our solutions support our commitment to what we believe to be the Five Rights of Laboratory Testing. This involves making certain the right patient has the right test performed at the right time, for the right indicators, ultimately leading to the right diagnosis. That commitment also means producing solutions that help automate the specimen-collection process and ensure accurate patient identification and specimen labeling. This, in turn, enables more efficient collections to support LEAN initiatives, reduce medical errors, and improves patient safety. With the ever-changing laboratory environment, the marketplace is constantly responding to meet the laboratory’s needs so that the goal of zero errors can be successfully and more readily met.
Kelly Feist
Vice President of Marketing
Sunquest Information Systems
Maker of Sunquest Collection manager and SMART solutions
Mobile specimen tracking
The clinical laboratory industry looks to mobile software products to help improve their specimen transport process, provide higher quality service to their customers and reduce errors. Labs, physicians and patients need real-time information on the status of specimens throughout the testing process. Mobile tracking can provide visibility into when a specimen has arrived at the testing facility, been picked up at the lab or collected by medical- specimen transport organizations. Companies using mobile solutions gain a significant advantage over their competitors. Offering proof of delivery, chain of custody, sophisticated reporting, and the ability to track specimens in real time makes these companies more attractive to hospitals, clinics, and independent physicians. Clinics and labs are deploying mobile solutions to drive productivity and efficiency, reduce costs, and increase their competitive edge. Mobile software products delivered through a SaaS-based model and packaged for the clinical laboratory industry are cost-effective, low-risk, and effective in providing the chain-of-custody visibility necessary to deliver high quality service. These products are affordable, scalable, and easy to use, translating into rapid ROI for the lab or clinic — and peace of mind for their customers.
Rick Pontin
CEO
Airclic
Maker of Airclic’s Mobile Performance Platform
The Golden Rule of the lab
Technological progress in today’s laboratory offers exciting promise for the future of diagnostic testing. While searching for increased lab efficiencies, reduced overhead expenses, and maximized profits, medical professionals remain ever mindful of The Golden Rule of the laboratory: safety first. New and improved equipment and techniques will continue to advance medical care while emphasizing safety as a guiding principle. As diagnostic testing, collection, and transport move into the 21st century, laboratories and their staffs need to heed this Golden Rule and to promote safety education at every level, inside and outside of the laboratory. Whatever it is, doing it the safe way is the least expensive and most efficient way of all.
Deidre Y. Bryan
Clinical Marketing Manager, N.A.
Owen Mumford
Maker of Unistik 3 Single Use Safety Lancets
Education is key for lab staff
Product manufacturers in the blood- collection industry now have the opportunity not only to provide product training but also educational information on proper handling to achieve a quality sample for lab analysis. The role of the manufacturer has expanded to include contributing to the education of laboratory staff on good preanalytic techniques that follow Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute’s (CLSI) Standards and Guidelines for drawing specimens by venipuncture and proper sample processing. This type of educational material has become an important component of our partnership with our customers.
Diane Ban
Product Manager, Preanalytics
Greiner Bio-One
Maker of VACUETTE QUICKSHIELD
Complete PLUS
Reducing healthcare costs
We are continuously in contact with lab managers and staff — the frontline of our industry and in prime position to communicate to vendors the things which work best in the field and how we can help facilitate their work. Their suggestions and comments allow us to continue our pursuit of innovation. Committed to rapidly responding to customer needs, we research, design and engineer, build, and test all of our products in-house without subcontractors to delay our processes. In-house engineers, software developers and microbiologists are responsible from R&D to final laboratory testing. Because each lab functions differently, we want to accommodate each laboratory in its unique situation. Complete automation of specimen processing eliminates repetitive stress caused by opening, sampling, and closing specimen containers numerous times each day, which can lead to fatigue and work related stress and injuries. Automation in clinical microbiology allows precious qualified staff to be redeployed from repetitive lab tasks to functions that require judgment and interpretative skills. Improving efficiencies in the laboratory helps identify infectious agents faster, with greater precision and provides faster results to physicians.
Gabriela M. Powers
Global Marketing Manager
Copan Diagnostics
Maker of WASP, the walk-away specimen processor,
and its Gram SlidePrep module
Regulations and requirements for shipping
Under the Obama administration, there have recently been a number of significant personnel changes within the U.S. Department of Transportation, which regulates the shipment of all hazardous materials within the United States. Many within the industry believe these changes possibly point towards increasing monitoring, auditing, and enforcement as it pertains to the shipment of all hazardous materials, which includes infectious specimens. Based on current International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations and requirements, all patient specimens shipped by air, whether infectious or exempt, are required to be properly packaged according those regulations and requirements. With proper training for all personnel involved in the shipping and transport of patient specimens, and the use of appropriate shipping systems, the medical laboratory will go a long way in minimizing the chances of rejected patient-specimen shipments as well as the potential ramifications for failure to adhere to regulations pertaining to such shipments.
David Creighton
Regulatory Specialist
Saf-T-Pak
Manufacturer of Infectious and Diagnostic Packaging and Compliance Training
RFID tracking efficiencies offset enhancement’s costs
Tracking of lab samples is still relatively error prone. The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) is gaining momentum as a solution to eliminate the guesswork and ensure that samples leave a trail that is easily followed when something goes wrong. RFID tags can be used from the point of collection through sample storage and disposal. Tags have been manufactured for healthcare –— able to withstand temperature, liquids, and chemicals. Use of RFID tracking provides not only elimination of lost or misplaced specimens but also enhanced visibility, identifying costly bottlenecks and delays. These systems provide a snapshot of where a specimen has been at any given time. Many labs have shied away from this technology thinking that the cost is too high; however, not only has the cost come down but also the efficiencies have been shown to completely offset the cost of this enhancement.
Peter Allison
CEO
Ambient ID
Maker of LabTrack Specimen Tracking System
Six tips for more successful cell cultures
By Ed Sullivan
For those who perform cell-culture experiments, it pays to be meticulous. Even seemingly minor handling techniques and lab equipment features can make a difference in achieving success. It can be challenging to maintain pure cell cultures and keep them healthy and growing properly. By their very nature, these cell cultures are extremely fragile. Any laboratorian who has had problems with cell-culture health, longevity, or contamination knows how time consuming, costly, and frustrating this can be. Some researchers are almost “superstitious”about trying new cell-culture vessels or media, or even altering their techniques.
But not all cells types respond to growth conditions in the same way. What is more, products are continually being developed that increase convenience and efficiency in the research lab. The trick is to find ways to maximize results while minimizing wasted time and money.
The following tips, compiled from interviews with experienced researchers and innovative equipment manufacturers, can help increase a lab’s success rate without relying on “luck.”
- Choose the right growth surface
There is no universal growth surface on which all cells grow well. For non-anchorage cells, be sure to select a vessel surface that is hydrophobic in order to minimize attachment. Finding a surface for cells that you wish to attach can be a bit trickier. For example, if cells grow poorly on a traditional, negatively-charged cell-culture surface, a specialty surface with a positive charge may be a viable alternative to achieving necessary adhesion without laborious coatings.Look for a vendor that offers flasks with color-coded surface options so it is easy to differentiate them in the lab. Not only will color coding help to prevent mix-ups among various cell cultures, it also serves as a visual aid for quick and reliable identification of different growth surfaces.
Be sure that your vendor uses high-grade materials and products that are manufactured under stringent purity conditions, free of pyrogens and cytotoxins. This is essential to achieving reliability and consistency for experiments. Also make sure that vessel surfaces are as flat as possible. This can provide better adherence where needed and minimize “patchy”cell growth that could compromise the results.
- Filter out potential contaminants
Contaminants corrupt cell cultures and the results. If proper care is not taken, cell lines could be lost. Take the time and steps necessary to filter and purify everything that will come into contact with the cells. For proper filtration, choose a membrane such as polyethersulfone, or PES, which is low in protein binding, low in extractables, and offers a high flow rate. To make certain that media and any nutrients that might possibly be used are free of mycoplasma, use a filter with a 0.1-micron pore size. - Cap carefully
Flasks with standard non-vented membrane caps are designed for use in closed systems (e.g., Leibovitz L15 media), providing a liquid- and gas-tight seal. Non-vented caps may be used in the vented position when gas exchange is desired and in the closed position when gas exchange is not desired.When there is no requirement for anaerobic conditions, vented caps with a non-wettable hydrophobic membrane can be closed tightly to allow regular gas exchange while keeping potential contaminants out. Using a vented cap also eliminates the step of setting the cap to a vented position, and prevents the liquid build up that sometimes forms around the inside of plug seal caps, partially sealing them and inhibiting gas exchange.
Look for quick-release caps for one-handed attachment or removal. Generally, cell-culture flasks with traditional screw caps require one or more turns to remove or replace the cap. A quick-release cap design should require less than a full turn.
- Do not disturb
Just like an infant, a cell culture does not like excessive noise or movement. Make certain that the incubator is level, stable, and in a location away from heavy foot traffic or vibrating, motorized instrumentation, such as compressors, laminar flow hoods, or centrifuges. Also make sure it has a rattle-free fan and that the shelving allows for a uniform temperature profile. Bear in mind that temperature fluctuations will more likely occur in the front of the incubator, so keep more critical experiments toward the back of the storage compartment.“I believe that researchers experience this problem more often than you might think,”says Pillari Ratnakar, PhD, veteran cell-culture researcher. “I have seen instances where an incubator was placed next to a centrifuge and a staff member thought there was a problem with the culture vessel, incubator, or culture medium, for example. The real problem was the agitation caused by the centrifuge equipment, and it ruined the experiment by causing cells to form different circular growth patterns on dishes.”
- Be flexible
Cell scrapers are useful tools that allow laboratorians to remove cells without using chemicals to dislodge them in preparation for experiments. However, choosing the proper scraper design is critical. For example, many cell scrapers have hard, inflexible blades that can cause more cell damage than successful removal. To avoid such unnecessary or excessive damage, consider using a cell scraper with a thin, flexible, non-toxic blade material.More advanced cell scraper designs can also include adjustable, swiveling blades that are easier to use even in culture containers that are difficult to access. This type of scraper blade can be aseptically turned 90 degrees from the “scraper”position, ideal for use in flasks, to the “lifter”position, which is useful for harvesting cells in dishes.
- Freeze cautiously
Once a cell culture has grown, remember that freezing and thawing are critical for successful preservation and recovery. Follow an established freezing protocol, and always use storage tubes that are specifically designed for cryogenic use. Also, be sure to use cryo tubes that are tested and certified to be completely free of potential contaminants that would harm cell materials and cellular components during preservation.Freeze cells in a container at -80°C with a cooling rate of 1°C per minute for several hours before transferring them to a liquid nitrogen tank. Store the samples in the gas phase of the tank to prevent contamination from frozen organisms in the liquid nitrogen, and to avoid potential tube breakage due to liquid nitrogen entry and expansion during thawing. When thawing, use a 37°C water bath with cover. Disinfect the tube before opening with 70% alcohol.
To avoid confusion or mixing of frozen samples, consider using a tube system with color-coding. “Color coding on flasks makes it easy to quickly discern between suspension and adherent cells, for instance,”according to Patrick McDonald, PhD, associate professor of Immunology at Université de Sherbrooke in Québec. “This is a nearly foolproof system that benefits everyone.”Some flasks also have uniquely shaped bases that interlock with cryogenic racks, allowing easy, one-handed operation of tubes and caps.
“Once you have successfully grown cells and are ready to store them long term, you do not want to risk losing them during freezing,”advises Dr. Ratnakar.
Attention to detail is the name of the game in preparing and storing cell cultures. Make careful decisions about techniques and equipment, and continue to look for ways to increase efficiency, to avoid the headache of lost cell lines and ruined experiments.
Ed Sullivan is a freelance writer who worked with Sarstedt., a manufacturer of medical equipment/consumables, with its US-HQ in Newton, NC.
