Método fenotípico automatizado versus método manual na identificação de microorganismos isolados de hemoculturas: desfechos clínicos e microbiológicos / Automated phenotypic method versus manual method in the identification of microorganisms isolated from blood cultures: clinical and microbiological outcomes

INTRODUÇÃO: A automação laboratorial é cada vez mais utilizada em microbiologia, no entanto, poucos estudos avaliam desfechos clínicos em comparação aos métodos tradicionais. No Brasil, nenhum estudo com esse objetivo foi detectado. OBJETIVO: Analisar os impactos clínicos e microbiológicos após implantação de método fenotípico automatizado em um serviço de microbiologia. MÉTODOS: Realizamos estudo observacional e retrospectivo no laboratório de microbiologia referente a exame de hemocultura de pacientes da Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI). Os dados foram coletados de pacientes internados entre janeiro/2014 a dezembro/2015. Analisou-se o tempo de internação, número de terapias empíricas, óbitos e dados relacionados ao isolamento microbiológico. A amostra foi obtida por conveniência. Para a comparação entre os desfechos foram empregados os testes t de Student e Qui-quadrado de Pearson. O programa empregado foi o Stata release, versão 11, sendo considerados significativos valores de p<0,05. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliados 472 pacientes. Não houve redução na prescrição empírica de antimicrobianos (54,7% vs 45,3%; p=0,33), tempo de internação na UTI (14,5 dias vs 15,8 dias p=0,78) e na taxa de óbitos (54,4% vs 45,6%; p=0,36). Similarmente, o perfil de agentes isolados em ambos os métodos não parece ser discrepante, no entanto, houve um aumento de 44,7% no número de isolados microbianos (76 vs 110) com melhor caracterização dos mesmos. CONCLUSÃO: A automação do laboratório de microbiologia não impactou no tempo de internação, mortalidade na UTI e no número de terapias empíricas. No entanto, a identificação e o isolamento de microrganismos melhoraram.

INTRODUCTION: Automation is increasingly used in microbiology laboratory, however, few studies assessed clinical outcomes compared to traditional methods. In Brazil, no studies with this objective were detected. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical and microbiological impacts after implantation of an automated phenotypic method in a microbiology service. METHODS: Observational and retrospective study carried out on the microbiology laboratory involving blood culture test from intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Data were collected from hospitalized patients between January 2014 and December 2015. The length of hospitalization, number of empirical therapies, deaths and information related to microbiological isolation were analyzed. The sample was obtained by convenience. Pearson's Chisquare and Student's t-tests were used to compare outcomes. The program used was the Stata release, version 11, being considered significant values of p<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 472 patients were evaluated. There was no reduction in the empirical prescription of antimicrobials (54.7% vs 45.3%; p=0.33), ICU stay (14.5 days vs 15.8 days; p=0.78) and mortality (54.4% vs 45.6%; p=0.36). Similarly, profile of isolated agents in both methods did not appear to be discrepant, however, there was an increase of 44.7% in the number of microbial isolates (76 vs 110) and a better characterization of them. CONCLUSION: The microbiology laboratory automation did not modify the length of stay, ICU mortality and the number of empirical therapies. However, identification and isolation of microorganisms was improved.

High-Throughput Automatic Training System for Spatial Working Memory in Free-Moving Mice / 神经科学通报·英文版

Efficient behavioral assays are crucial for understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive functions. Here, we designed a high-throughput automatic training system for spatial cognition (HASS) for free-moving mice. Mice were trained to return to the home arm and remain there during a delay period. Software was designed to enable automatic training in all its phases, including habituation, shaping, and learning. Using this system, we trained mice to successfully perform a spatially delayed nonmatch to sample task, which tested spatial cognition, working memory, and decision making. Performance depended on the delay duration, which is a hallmark of working memory tasks. The HASS enabled a human operator to train more than six mice simultaneously with minimal intervention, therefore greatly enhancing experimental efficiency and minimizing stress to the mice. Combined with the optogenetic method and neurophysiological techniques, the HASS will be useful in deciphering the neural circuitry underlying spatial cognition.

Shorter Incubation Times for Detecting Multi-drug Resistant Bacteria in Patient Samples: Defining Early Imaging Time Points Using Growth Kinetics and Total Laboratory Automation

BACKGROUND: The transition from manual processing of patient samples to automated workflows in medical microbiology is challenging. Although automation enables microbiologists to evaluate all samples following the same incubation period, the essential incubation times have yet to be determined. We defined essential incubation times for detecting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDRGN), and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). METHODS: We monitored the growth kinetics of MRSA, MDRGN, and VRE between two and 48 hours on chromogenic media to establish the time points of first growth, single colony appearance, and typical morphology for 102, 104, 106, and 108 colony forming units/mL. Subsequently, we imaged plates inoculated with 778 patient samples after 20, 24, and 36 hours. RESULTS: The first growth, single colony appearance, and typical morphology time points were inoculum-dependent. First growth appeared after 6–18 hours, 4–18 hours, and 8–48 hours for MRSA, MDRGN, and VRE, respectively, and single colonies appeared at 12–18 hours, 6–20 hours, and 12–48 hours, respectively. Typical morphology was visible at 14–22 hours and 12–48 hours for MRSA and VRE, but was not determined for MDRGN. By examining patient samples, ≥98% of MRSA and MDRGN were visible 20 hours after the start of incubation. Following 24 hours of incubation, only 79.5% of VRE were clearly visible on the respective plates. CONCLUSIONS: An incubation time of 20 hours is sufficient for detecting MRSA and MDRGN. VRE growth is much slower and requires additional imaging after 36 hours.

Increase in the diagnosis of mycobacteremia after the implementation of semi-automated blood culture at a Brazilian public health laboratory

Abstract INTRODUCTION The prevalence of hematogenous dissemination of mycobacteria is high in immunosuppressed patients. The isolation of mycobacteria in culture remains the standard procedure. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study based on the results of solid (Löwenstein-Jensen medium) and semi-automated liquid (BACTEC 9240) blood cultures, obtained from the Lacen-GO database. RESULTS The implementation of a semi-automated procedure resulted in an increase of 61.5% and 350.0% in the positive results for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and nontuberculous mycobacteria, respectively. This technique also accelerated the detection of positive results. CONCLUSIONS Semi-automated liquid blood culture showed a better performance in the diagnosis of mycobacteremia.

Automation and productivity in the clinical laboratory: experience of a tertiary healthcare facility

Clinical laboratories for in vitro diagnostics are facing pressure to preserve cost control while providing better services through new initiatives. Laboratory automation is a partial answer to this problem, having come a long way from the early days of clinical laboratory testing. The journey and implementation of automation in the Singapore General Hospital's Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory has allowed for sustained performance in the light of increasing workload and service commitments amid an evolving healthcare environment. Key to realising predicted outcomes is the optimisation of workflow processes, reduction of errors, and spatial placement of specimen reception and analytical areas. This paper gives an overview of our experience with automation in the clinical laboratory and its subsequent impact on service standards.

Experiencia en el despliegue del piloto de galen clínicas en los laboratorios del instituto de hematología e inmunología / Experience in deploying of pilot galen clínicas laboratories in the institute of hematology and immunology

SOFTEL, es la empresa encargada por el Ministerio de las Comunicaciones de informatizar las entidades de Salud Pública. Para ello se han desarrollado varias aplicaciones, para ser desplegadas en hospitales, clínicas, policlínicos y bancos de sangre, fundamentalmente. Específicamente los laboratorios constituyen un área muy sensible debido a que en ellos se realizan todos los medios diagnósticos, que resultan de gran utilidad el almacenamiento de esta información para futuros estudios de los pacientes. Este trabajo expone la experiencia obtenida en el despliegue de dicho módulo, como una primera experiencia, conocida como despliegue de piloto o prueba beta. Esta experiencia sirve de base para las futuras instalaciones en otros clientes, reportó una serie de inconformidades que se resolvieron antes de concluir el mismo y finalmente quedo concluido el despliegue. Este tuvo complicaciones relacionadas con la existencia de laboratorios fuera del área de cobertura del Instituto y la preparación de las interfaces con los diferentes auto analizadores(AU)

SOFTEL is the enterprise commissioned by the Ministry of Communications to computerize public health institutions. For that has been developed several applications to be deployed in hospitals, clinics and blood banks, basically. Specifically, laboratories are a very sensitive area because in them all the diagnostic tools are used, so it is useful storage of this information for future studies of patients. This paper describes the experience gained in the deployment of the module, as a first experience, known as pilot or deployment of beta testing. This experience, which forms the basis for future installations on other customers, reported a series of disagrees which were resolved before the end of the same and finally the deployment was completed. This had complications related to the existence of laboratories outside the coverage area of the Institute and the preparation of the interfaces with the different analyzers(AU)

Efficiency of an Automated Reception and Turnaround Time Management System for the Phlebotomy Room

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in laboratory information systems have largely been focused on automation. However, the phlebotomy services have not been completely automated. To address this issue, we introduced an automated reception and turnaround time (TAT) management system, for the first time in Korea, whereby the patient's information is transmitted directly to the actual phlebotomy site and the TAT for each phlebotomy step can be monitored at a glance. METHODS: The GNT5 system (Energium Co., Ltd., Korea) was installed in June 2013. The automated reception and TAT management system has been in operation since February 2014. Integration of the automated reception machine with the GNT5 allowed for direct transmission of laboratory order information to the GNT5 without involving any manual reception step. We used the mean TAT from reception to actual phlebotomy as the parameter for evaluating the efficiency of our system. RESULTS: Mean TAT decreased from 5:45 min to 2:42 min after operationalization of the system. The mean number of patients in queue decreased from 2.9 to 1.0. Further, the number of cases taking more than five minutes from reception to phlebotomy, defined as the defect rate, decreased from 20.1% to 9.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The use of automated reception and TAT management system was associated with a decrease of overall TAT and an improved workflow at the phlebotomy room.

El conteo automático de reticulocitos: una herramienta de uso diagnóstico, clínico e investigativo / Automated reticulocyte count: a tool for diagnostic, clinical and research use

Se revisan los antecedentes históricos del conteo de reticulocitos como determinación indispensable en el laboratorio de hematología para la evaluación de la actividad eritropoyética durante la clasificación, diagnóstico y monitoreo de la respuesta terapéutica en distintos trastornos y situaciones clínicas, principalmente en casos de anemias. Se describe el tránsito del tradicional método de conteo de reticulocitos manual al método automatizado y la integración de los parámetros reticulocitarios al hemograma automatizado actual; además, se analizan las desventajas del método de recuento manual y las ventajas del método automatizado, así como los principios de detección en que se basa el conteo electrónico de reticulocitos. Con relación a los parámetros reticulocitarios, se describe su medición, cálculo y unidades de medida; también se resalta la importancia de la fracción de reticulocitos inmaduros y del contenido de hemoglobina reticulocitaria como variables de mayor uso clínico e investigativo en la evaluación de la respuesta medular ante diversos trastornos clínicos y protocolos terapéuticos. Por último, se alude a la necesidad del conocimiento y empleo de las variables reticulocitarias en la práctica clínica de rutina por parte de los clínicos y especialistas en hematología.

The historical background of reticulocyte count is reviewed as an essential determination in the laboratory of hematology for the evaluation of erythropoietic activity during classification, diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutic response of different conditions and clinical situations are also reviewed, especially in anemia The transition from traditional manual reticulocyte counting method to automated method and integration of the reticulocyte parameters to current automated complete blood count are described. The disadvantages of manual method and the advantages of automated methods are cited, as well as detection principles in which electronic reticulocyte count is based. Regarding reticulocyte parameters, measurement, calculation and units are described. The importance of immature reticulocyte fraction and reticulocyte hemoglobin content as variables most clinical and research use in evaluating bone marrow response to various clinical disorders and therapeutic protocols are highlighted. Finally, the need for knowledge and use of reticulocyte variables in routine clinical practice by clinicians and hematologist is referred.

Interferencia causada por hemólisis en la determinación de 25 constituyentes bioquímicos en el autoanalizador ADVIA 1800 / Hemolysis interference in the determination of 25 biochemical constituents using ADVIA 1800 autoanalyzer

La interferencia por hemólisis es la principal causa de rechazo preanalítico de muestras de suero en el laboratorio clínico. Objetivos. Conocer y cuantificar la posible interferencia producida por hemólisis en la medición rutinaria de 25 constituyentes bioquímicos en el autoanalizador ADVIA 1800, empleando para ello el criterio de interferencia clínicamente relevante, cuando se supera el máximo error sistemático deseable. Diseño. Estudio descriptivo comparativo. Institución. Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati Martins, EsSalud, Lima, Perú. Material biológico. Muestras sanguíneas proveniente de sujetos voluntarios. Intervenciones. Se añadieron cantidades crecientes de hemoglobina (0,26 g/L, 0,53 g/L, 1,05 g/L, 2,10 g/L, 3,25 g/L, 4,30 g/L y 5,25 g/L) a siete diferentes alícuotas de una mezcla de sueros y se determinó en ellas por duplicado la influencia del interferente en los 25 constituyentes. Se siguió el protocolo de la Sociedad Española de Química Clínica. Principal medida de resultados. Porcentaje relativo de desviación de la concentración del constituyente por influencia de la hemólisis, con respecto a la muestra sin interferente. Resultados. Los constituyentes urea, creatinina, ácido úrico, bilirrubina total, colesterol HDL, colesterol LDL, triglicéridos, calcio y gammaglutamiltransferasa no presentaron interferencia, mientras que se observó interferencia para glucosa, proteínas, albúmina, colesterol, potasio, fósforo, magnesio, deshidrogenasa láctica, creatinfosfoquinasa, aspartato aminotransferasa, alanino aminotransferasa, lipasa, sodio, cloro, fosfatasa alcalina y amilasa. Conclusiones. De los 25 constituyentes estudiados, 16 presentaron interferencia clínicamente significativa. Se recomienda que cada laboratorio investigue los efectos de dicha interferencia empleando sus propios métodos, reactivos o instrumentos...

Hemolysis interference is the main cause of pre analytical rejection of serum samples in clinical laboratory. Objectives.To identify and quantify possible hemolysis interferences in the routine measurement of 25 biochemical constituents using ADVIA 1800 autoanalyzer, by clinical relevant interference criterion when the maximum desirable systematic error is exceeded. Design.Comparative descriptive study. Institution. Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati Martins, EsSalud, Lima, Peru. Biologic material. Blood samples collected from volunteer subjects. Interventions. Increasing amounts of hemoglobin (0.26 g/L, 0.53 g/L, 1.05 g/L, 2.10 g/L, 3.25 g/L, 4.30 g/L, and 5.25 g/L) were added to seven different aliquots of sera mixture and influence of interfering influence in 25 constituents was determined by duplicate. The Spanish Society of Clinical Chemistry protocol was followed. Main outcome measure. Hemolysis-related relative percentage deviation of the constituent concentration compared with the sample without interference. Results. Urea, creatinine, uric acid, total bilirubin, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, calcium, and gamma glutamyl transferase showed no interference. Interference was observed for glucose, protein, albumin, cholesterol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, lactic dehydrogenase, creatine phosphokinase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lipase, sodium, chlorine, alkaline phosphatase and amylase. Conclusions. Out of 25 constituentss studied, 16 had clinical significant interference. It is recommended that each laboratory investigate this interference effects using their own methods, reagents or instruments...

Integrated Development of Full-automatic Fluorescence Analyzer / 生物医学工程学杂志

In view of the fact that medical inspection equipment sold in the domestic market is mainly imported from abroad and very expensive, we developed a full-automatic fluorescence analyzer in our center, presented in this paper. The present paper introduces the hardware architecture design of FPGA/DSP motion controlling card+PC+ STM32 embedded micro processing unit, software system based on C# multi thread, design and implementation of double-unit communication in detail. By simplifying the hardware structure, selecting hardware legitimately and adopting control system software to object-oriented technology, we have improved the precision and velocity of the control system significantly. Finally, the performance test showed that the control system could meet the needs of automated fluorescence analyzer on the functionality, performance and cost.

Evaluación de la incorporación de un sistema automatizado de cultivo microbiológico en un hospital público de Nuquén / Assessment of the incorporation of an automated microbiological culture system in a public hospital of Neuquén

En este artículo se presenta un informe rápido de evaluación de tecnología sanitaria sobre la incorporación de un sistema de cultivo microbiano automatizado para la realización de pruebas de identificación y sensibilidad antibiótica de gérmenes en el laboratorio de microbiología de un hospital público de alta complejidad de la provincia del Neuquén.(AU)

Avaliação do desempenho do equipamento de hematologiaSysmex XE2100D em um laboratório municipal / Evaluation of the performance of the Sysmex XE2100D hematology equipment in a municipal laboratory

Validar o analisador hematológico Sysmex XE-2100D (Kobe, Japan), descreveras etapas do processo e avaliar seu desempenho antes da sua inserção na rotina detrabalho do Laboratório Municipal de Gravataí, RS. Métodos: O estudo foi realizado com101 amostras de sangue total de pacientes adultos. Foram realizados quatro testes:precisão intraensaio, linearidade, exatidão e carreamento. Resultados: Os testes deprecisão apresentaram resultados adequados para a maioria dos parâmetros. Somentea contagem absoluta de monócitos e a quantificação de plaquetas tiveram valoressuperiores aos preconizados em algumas amostras. O coeficiente de variação foi inferiora 1,5% para a série vermelha. Para linearidade, os coeficientes de correlação foramsuperiores a 0,99; no teste de exatidão, superiores a 0,98 para a maioria dos parâmetros,e o percentual de carreamento inferior a 1,0% para todos os parâmetros analisados.Conclusão: Ao se analisarem amostras com perfis semelhantes aos testados pelofabricante, os resultados de precisão foram excelentes; entretanto, conforme esperado,as amostras com resultados alterados apresentaram coeficientes de variação maiores.Os resultados de precisão indicam a necessidade de outros estudos utilizando amostrascom resultados fora do limite de normalidade para determinação do coeficiente de variaçãoaceitável para esse tipo de amostra. Os resultados de linearidade, exatidão e carreamentoforam semelhantes aos obtidos em outros estudos. Considerando os resultados obtidos,o equipamento foi aprovado para utilização no laboratório...

Impact of Implementation of an Automated Liquid Culture System on Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleurisy

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of implementation of an automated liquid culture system on the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy in an HIV-uninfected patient population. We retrospectively compared the culture yield, time to positivity, and contamination rate of pleural effusion samples in the BACTEC Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube 960 (MGIT) and Ogawa media among patients with tuberculous pleurisy. Out of 104 effusion samples, 43 (41.3%) were culture positive on either the MGIT or the Ogawa media. The culture yield of MGIT was higher (40.4%, 42/104) than that of Ogawa media (18.3%, 19/104) (P<0.001). One of the samples was positive only on the Ogawa medium. The median time to positivity was faster in the MGIT (18 days, range 8-32 days) than in the Ogawa media (37 days, range 20-59 days) (P<0.001). No contamination or growth of nontuberculous mycobacterium was observed on either of the culture media. In conclusion, the automated liquid culture system could provide approximately twice as high yields and fast results in effusion culture, compared to solid media. Supplemental solid media may have a limited impact on maximizing sensitivity in effusion culture; however, further studies are required.

Design of an Incremental and Open Laboratory Automation System / 中国医疗器械杂志

Recent years have witnessed great development of TLA (Total Laboratory Automation) technology, however, its application hit the bottleneck of high cost and openess to other parties' instruments. Specifically speaking, the initial purchase of the medical devices requires large sum of money and the new system can hardly be compatible with existing equipment. This thesis proposes a new thought for system implementation that through incremental upgrade, the initial capital investment can be reduced and through open architecture and interfaces, the seamless connection of different devices can be achieved. This thesis elaborates on the standards that open architecture design should follow in aspect of mechanics, electro-communication and information interaction and the key technology points in system implementation.

Letter to the editor: Respective Contribution of Liquid and Solid Media to Mycobacterial Yields from Pleural Fluid in Tuberculous Pleural Effusion

No abstract available.

Evaluación de un sistema automatizado de siembra de orinas para urocultivos / Evaluation of an automated streaking system of urine samples for urine cultures

Introduction: Automated systems have simplified laboratory workflow, improved standardization, traceability and diminished human errors and workload. Although microbiology laboratories have little automation, in recent years new tools for automating pre analytical steps have appeared. Objectives: To assess the performance of an automated streaking machine for urine cultures and its agreement with the conventional manual plating method for semi quantitative colony counts. Materials and Methods: 495 urine samples for urinary culture were inoculated in CPS® agar using our standard protocol and the PREVI™ Isola. Rates of positivity, negativity, polymicrobial growth, bacterial species, colony counts and re-isolation requirements were compared. Results: Agreement was achieved in 98.97% of the positive/negative results, in 99.39% of the polymicrobial growth, 99.76% of bacterial species isolated and in 98.56 % of colony counts. The need for re-isolation of colonies decreased from 12.1% to 1.1% using the automated system. Discussion: PREVI™ Isola's performance was as expected, time saving and improving bacterial isolation. It represents a helpful tool for laboratory automation.

Introducción: Los sistemas automatizados han facilitado el flujo de trabajo, mejorado la estandarización, la trazabilidad, disminuido el error humano y la carga de trabajo en los laboratorios. A pesar de que la microbiología ha permanecido poco automatizada, en los últimos años han aparecido nuevas herramientas para la automatización de la etapa pre analítica. Objetivos: Evaluar el desempeño de un sistema automatizado de siembra de urocultivos y la concordancia con la siembra manual convencional en el recuento semicuantitativo de colonias. Materiales y Métodos: 495 muestras de orinas fueron sembradas según nuestro protocolo habitual y comparadas con las placas de CPS® obtenidas con PREVI™ Isola en cuanto a positividad/negatividad, muestras polimicrobianas, especies de bacterias aisladas, recuentos y necesidad de resembrar. Resultados: Hubo concordancia en 98,97% de los positivos y negativos, en 99,39% de las muestras polimicrobianas, en 99,76% de las especies aisladas y en 98,56% de los recuentos. La necesidad de resiembra disminuyo de 12,1% a un 1,1% usando este sistema automatizado. Discusión: El desempeño de PREVI™ Isola fue el esperado, mejorando el aislamiento bacteriano y el tiempo requerido y representa una buena herramienta para la automatización de laboratorios.