ABSTRACT
Laboratory Medicine has provided a fundamental contribution and it has assumed an essential role during the pandemic caused by Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. We have compared the Laboratory Clinical Biochemistry and Coagulation requests (both Siemens) among 22/2/2020-3/05/2020 with the same period in 2019, both extracted by our LIS Concerto (Dedalus): It is clear how the pandemic has deeply modified the Laboratory requests. In fact, in 2020 those requests have been 26% less than 2019 (N = 777.281, versus N = 1.055.861 in 2019), against a slight increase in Urgent internal requests (6% more than in 2019). Laboratory Biochemical Chemistry requests decreased by 27,3% compared to 2019, while those of Coagulation increased by 10,4%. Moreover, this comparison shows that Laboratory Biochemical Chemistry requests have not changed in their typology but in their frequency, because the "ranking" of the most requested tests in 2019 in pandemic becomes: Glucose-45%, Creatinine-27,2%, Potassium-18,4%, Sodium-17,2%, ALT-20,9%, AST-20,1%, Urea-21,4%, LDH +15%, PCR-6%, Bilirubin-16,1%, Calcium-26,9%. Also noteworthy are the increase in Procalcitonin requests (+70,4%) and the introduction of Interleukin-6 test (N = 2.921 requests). The frequency of Laboratory Coagulation requests has also changed compared to 2019: PT-4,9%, aPTT +2,8%, D-Dimer +906%, Antithrombin +18%, Fibrinogen +12,4%. The closure of the withdrawal centers for outpatients (it's about 60% fewer requests) produced the drop in requests found in the pandemic, while the almost total conversion of the wards in areas exclusively dedicated to assist Covid-patients, is the origin of the increased Urgent requests. The increase in Laboratory Coagulation requests reflects the importance that the DDimer test has assumed in the pandemic compared to those of Clinical Biochemistry, whose basic performance, probably, have been partly replaced by the increase in the use of blood gas analyzers (+36%, Siemens) and glucometers (+49%, Roche). The pandemic has demonstrated the Laboratory's maturity in facing a new vital challenge, supported by its ability to remodel itself according to the new emerging needs, combining Quality, Competence and Diagnostic Efficiency to better answer to the new diagnosis and treatment needs.