New automated lab diagnoses infections faster
Diagnosing infectious diseases is about to get a lot quicker for doctors and their patients across the London, Ont. region.
In a health care partnership, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Centre unveiled the world’s first installation of a state-of-the-art automated laboratory.
“There will be a shorter time period to get the results, and then antibiotic treatment can be described earlier than normal,” explained John French, clinical diagnostics executive for LHSC.
The new system also boasts enhanced safety, said Karen Perkin, vice president of patient care at St. Joseph’s.
“Very huge, for the system, for the system flow. Also the other elements of safety and the other checkpoints that the system offers in terms of accuracy,” she explained.
An automated microbiology lab at LHSC is seen in London, Ont. on Nov. 2, 2023. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London) Made by medical technology company BD, the BD Kiestra Total Laboratory Automation System is designed to assist in the detection of infectious diseases.
The lab delivers automated workflows from inoculation and incubation to culture reading and results reporting.
“Microbiology used to take about three days, highly labour intensive,” said BD Executive Vice President, Dave Hickey. “Now with automation and solutions like the BD Kiestra you can do it in about a day to a day-and-a-half. What that means for the lab staff is that they can now spend their time on doing more value-add activities.”
The lab currently processes about 360,000 tests per year. The new system increases capacity and prepares for the future, according to Jeff Fuller, a clinical microbiologist at LHSC.
“Our population is increasing. Population is getting older. Diseases are becoming more complex. And so as part of our role in preparedness this implementation and installation of our laboratory will address any concerns about capacity for the net decade plus without any problems,” he explained.
The new automated microbiology lab comes with a price tag of $3.3 million.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Egypt media cite progress in truce talks as Israel downplays chances of end to war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in ongoing cease-fire talks with Israel while an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war.
Bystander livestreams during Charlotte standoff show an ever-growing appetite for social media video
Saing Chhoeun was locked out of his Charlotte, N.C., home on Monday as law enforcement with high-powered rifles descended into his yard and garage, using a car as a shield as they were met with a shower of gunfire from the direction of his neighbor's house.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.