Point-of-care haematology analyser in oncology unit

The arrival of an ABX Pentra 60C+ haematology analyser at the Macmillan Primrose Unit within Bedford Hospital has had a positive impact, with results available to clinicians within minutes enabling treatment decisions to be made quickly.

The decision to install the HORIBA ABX haematology analyser at the Bedford-based specialist oncology unit was the result of delays when processing FBC/Diff test requests prior to chemotherapy treatment and during routine follow-up consultations. The highly compact ABX Pentra 60C+ bench top analyser is ideal for point-of-care use within oncology departments due to the 5-part cytochemical differential for white blood cells. This makes it particularly useful for monitoring patients receiving chemotherapy and follow-up care for various cancers.

“One of the great advantages of having installed the ABX Pentra 60C+ is the rapid and accurate processing of samples. As many of our patients are difficult to take full blood samples from, we can also run paediatric samples on the analyser,” remarked Jill Bunney, Oncology Phlebotomist at the Primrose Unit. “This not only reduces stress for the patient and clinician, but also prevents unnecessary sample re-runs and time wastage. Patients often remark with amazement on the ‘instant results available’ and this has been another great advantage to us.”

“The analyser is also very easy to use and maintain compared to our previous analyser,” added Jill Bunney. “We’ve found that the ABX Pentra 60C+ computer/analyser interface enables greater user control and the results printout can be readily understood by all clinicians, as it is clear and easy to read.”

Another key benefit found by the Primrose Unit is the ABX Pentra 60C+’s technology being compatible with the main hospital laboratory which uses HORIBA ABX’s high throughput analysers with integrated slide maker and stainer, meaning QA checks can be undertaken across all HORIBA ABX analysers at Bedford. Technological compatibility also ensures consistently accurate results which require no time consuming cross checks with the main laboratory. Furthermore, with daily control samples run with very few repeats compared to their previous instrument, the Primrose Unit has even more time to process patient tests and thus clinic waiting times are reduced.

On-board computer monitoring of reagent usage and the use of non-hazardous reagents has made day to day maintenance of the analyser extremely safe, easy and efficient. The rapid response from HORIBA ABX service engineers has meant that the ABX Pentra 60C+ has been 100% operational since it was installed, with “down-time” now completely a thing of the past.

It is evident that the addition of the ABX Pentra 60C+ has made a significant difference to clinics at the Macmillan Primrose Unit – for both staff and patients. “I would not hesitate to recommend the use of this instrument in any point-of-care setting” concluded Jill Bunney.