SYSMEX TAKES HAEMATOLOGY TO NEW LENGTHS

Whitfield Street Laboratory (WSL) in central London is a unique merger between NHS and independent services. Supplied by Sysmex UK, the central laboratory houses reputedly the longest straight-line haematology facility ever constructed.

With no backlogs, hold-ups, out-of-date technologies or operator intervention, the line receives thousands of samples per day. From sample loading through to results verification, the test process is programmed and tracked for each sample with sophisticated software directing the test route and monitoring each sample as it proceeds along the linear run.

The haematology sample tracking line (HST) consists of four XE-2100 automated haematology analysers, two SP-100 slide preparation units, and two Interrliner ESR readers. The modular design concept is extremely flexible, allowing for unlimited expansion and updating as capacity or technology advance. ‘We needed an analytical system that would deal with our expanding workload and widening range of tests’, commented WSL’s Medical Director Prof. Sam Machin. ‘It had to be fully automated and incredibly efficient with minimal downtime and operator intervention. We needed to drive down costs whilst at the same time improving our test capability both in terms of quantity and quality’.

Once a sample is loaded, there is no technical intervention, apart from reagent replacement, until results validation. The HST system performs the entire process of CBC, 5-part differential, reticulocyte and NRBC analyses, and blood film preparation and staining as required. It interfaces with the laboratory system and Trust networks to enable data to be accessed remotely and combines exceptional workload flexibility with superior analytical ability for both public and independent sectors.