LabMedica

Download Mobile App
Recent News Expo Clinical Chem. Molecular Diagnostics Hematology Immunology Microbiology Pathology Technology Industry Focus

Next-Gen Hematology Analyzers Eliminate Workflow Roadblocks and Achieve Fast Throughput

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 17 May 2023
Image: The Atellica HEMA 570 and 580 hematology analyzers remove workflow barriers (Photo courtesy of Siemens)
Image: The Atellica HEMA 570 and 580 hematology analyzers remove workflow barriers (Photo courtesy of Siemens)

Hematology testing is a critical aspect of patient care, utilized to establish a patient's health baseline, track treatment progress, or guide timely modifications to care. However, increasing constraints in laboratory workflows and staffing can lead to delays in providing test results to physicians and patients. A new pair of hematology analyzers now addresses these issues by offering user-friendly interfaces and the ability to connect multiple analyzers, effectively eliminating workflow bottlenecks and delivering the fast processing times needed in high-volume labs. These analyzers also offer integrated rules-based testing, which allows lab technicians of varying experience levels to interpret complex patient results and respond promptly.

Siemens Healthineers (Erlangen, Germany) has introduced two novel solutions for high-volume hematology testing, the Atellica HEMA 570 Analyzer and the Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzer. The complete blood count (CBC), a vital component of patient care, is one of the most frequently conducted diagnostic tests in the lab and often provides the first sign of a patient's illness. Physicians rely heavily on labs to deliver crucial hematology data reliably. Traditionally, hematology testing is a complex, time-sensitive process that necessitates skilled laboratory personnel to evaluate results before they can be relayed to physicians. The widespread use of CBC testing and escalating staff shortages can impact a lab's capacity to quickly review and release patients' test results. The Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers offer integrated automation and intelligence designed to overcome these challenges, thereby enhancing workflow efficiency and speeding up patient results delivery.

In hospital or critical care settings, the expected turnaround time for routine CBCs is typically less than an hour, while for STATs, it is ideally less than 10 minutes. The Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers can generate a throughput of up to 120 tests per hour. Their intuitive designs significantly decrease time-intensive daily maintenance while enabling quick reagent changes. Patients in critical condition, such as those with cancer, renal conditions, or neonates, require hematology testing to monitor their progress and guide adjustments to their care. Small changes in patient results can have significant implications if they are not flagged or if they are misinterpreted. The Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers incorporate advanced data management capabilities to address the expertise gap in labs, thus enabling staff of all skill levels to interpret results accurately.

The analyzers' rules-based auto-validation feature can release normal results—those that do not violate predefined criteria—directly into a laboratory information system, thereby saving time and enabling physicians to receive information more quickly. Any abnormalities are flagged and categorized by severity to clearly signify which patient samples need more detailed examination by a technician. When results necessitate further steps such as dilutions or slide reviews, standardized instructions can be displayed to ensure staff follows lab protocols. The Atellica HEMA 570 Analyzer measures 43 cell parameters, while the Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzer offers an additional 12 parameters, including indicators of immature red blood cells relevant to certain patient populations and an optical-based platelet count that reduces analytical interferences common in other detection technologies. Up to six Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers can be integrated together to maximize throughput with intelligent, automated workload balancing and reflexive testing that minimizes operator involvement.

"We hear from labs that they need agility, reliability, and speed," said Sharon Bracken, Head of Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers. "The Atellica HEMA analyzers combine workflow improvements with demonstrated technology to bring hematology testing into the future. We're delivering the breakthroughs labs need to produce quality patient results faster."

Related Links:
Siemens Healthineers 

Gold Member
Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile pHOx
POC Helicobacter Pylori Test Kit
Hepy Urease Test
Automated MALDI-TOF MS System
EXS 3000
Gold Member
Hybrid Pipette
SWITCH

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The diagnostic device can tell how deadly brain tumors respond to treatment from a simple blood test (Photo courtesy of UQ)

Diagnostic Device Predicts Treatment Response for Brain Tumors Via Blood Test

Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer, largely because doctors have no reliable way to determine whether treatments are working in real time. Assessing therapeutic response currently... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: Circulating tumor cells isolated from blood samples could help guide immunotherapy decisions (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Identifies Lung Cancer Patients Who Can Benefit from Immunotherapy Drug

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options, and even newly approved immunotherapies do not benefit all patients. While immunotherapy can extend survival for some,... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: New evidence suggests that imbalances in the gut microbiome may contribute to the onset and progression of MCI and Alzheimer’s disease (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Comprehensive Review Identifies Gut Microbiome Signatures Associated With Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 6.7 million people in the United States and nearly 50 million worldwide, yet early cognitive decline remains difficult to characterize. Increasing evidence suggests... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Vitestro has shared a detailed visual explanation of its Autonomous Robotic Phlebotomy Device (photo courtesy of Vitestro)

Robotic Technology Unveiled for Automated Diagnostic Blood Draws

Routine diagnostic blood collection is a high‑volume task that can strain staffing and introduce human‑dependent variability, with downstream implications for sample quality and patient experience.... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: Roche’s cobas® Mass Spec solution enables fully automated mass spectrometry in routine clinical laboratories (Photo courtesy of Roche)

New Collaboration Brings Automated Mass Spectrometry to Routine Laboratory Testing

Mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical technique that identifies and quantifies molecules based on their mass and electrical charge. Its high selectivity, sensitivity, and accuracy make it indispensable... Read more