Plate Management System
Comb-based streaking tool provides ideal placement
The PREVI™ Isola from bioMérieux Inc, Durham, NC, is a high-throughput specimen and agar plate bioMerieux PREVI Isolamanagement system. It performs the task of streaking a clinical sample (eg, urine) onto an agar plate. The device provides consistent, quality plate streaking. The comb-based streaking tool results in ideal placement for optimal colonization, with an increased number of isolated colonies, saving time and reducing repeat cultures. The innovation behind this system is the multitined applicator. Clinical studies have demonstrated that this instrument can inoculate and spread samples over a greater proportion of the agar plate surface than is typically achieved using the handheld loop-to-plate method, according to the company.
bioMérieux Inc
(919) 479-3637; www.biomerieux-usa.com

bioMerieux MylaMicrobiology Middleware Product
Gives comprehensive picture of all testing activity
Myla from bioMérieux Inc, Durham, NC, is a middleware software solution that has been designed by microbiologists for microbiologists. It plays a central role in the pathway from sample collection to patient decision, helping labs achieve the most out of their existing instrumentation and staff. Myla helps provide an actionable, comprehensive picture of all testing activity in the lab, allowing for a faster, freer flow of information.
bioMérieux Inc
(919) 479-3637; www.biomerieux-usa.com

Automated Gram Stainer
For all types of specimens
Previ Color Gram from bioMérieux Inc, Durham, NC, is an automated gram stainer, part of the company’s Full Microbiology Lab Automation (FMLA) line of products. The stainer system is for all types of bioMerieux PREVI Color Gramspecimens and provides accurate, standardized results. Its spray nozzles dispense the same reagent volume. There is no cross contamination—each slide is separated and a fresh staining reagent is used each time. The system provides improved microorganism differentiation in comparison with manual and bath staining results, the company says. It is particularly useful when performing stainings from the bioMérieux BacT/ALERT bottles, since it can clearly and easily differentiate Gram-positive from Gram-negative cells.
bioMérieux Inc
(919) 479-3637; www.biomerieux-usa.com

Automated Microbiology Specimen Processor
Streaking method offers consistency
The Kiestra InoqulA automated microbiology specimen processor from BD Diagnostics, Sparks, Md, BD InoqulA 01automates the processing of both liquid and nonliquid bacteriology specimens on one integrated platform. Available in July, the InoqulA’s streaking method uses magnetic rolling bead technology to offer more consistent colony isolation and less subculturing over manual methods, allowing for faster and more accurate results, the company says. The setup of urines, ESwabs, and other liquid specimens is fully automated with this bar code-driven process, including sample agitation, decapping, and recapping, as well as automatic inoculation of plates, slides, and broth tubes according to user-defined protocols. Designed for speed, the system can streak five plates at once.
BD Diagnostics
(410) 316-4000; www.bd.com/ds

Microbiology Lab Automation
Modular design for maximum flexibility
The BD Kiestra TLA (Total Lab Automation) system from BD Diagnostics, Sparks, Md, offers complete microbiology lab automation. This solution incorporates automated specimen processing, flexible tracks BE Kiestra2with two-way plate transportation, automated plate incubation and imaging, integrated ergonomic workbenches, and reading stations with digital plate-reading software. This modular design can be scaled to include two BD InoqulA automated specimen processors connected to six ReadA Compact automated incubator and imaging systems, as well as 10 inline ErgonomicA workbenches with reading stations to accommodate a wide range of volume needs. By automating and integrating each of these phases of the microbiology testing process together on one streamlined platform, the BD Kiestra TLA is designed to increase productivity, improve efficiency, and help produce more reliable and timely results.
BD Diagnostics
(410) 316-4000; www.bd.com/ds

Work Cell Automation
Small footprint
The BD Kiestra WCA (Work Cell Automation) from BD Diagnostics, Sparks, Md, is a modular solution designed for labs of all sizes that enables the integration of automated specimen processing, plate transportation, incubation, and digital BD KiestraWCAimaging systems in a compact footprint. Scheduled to be released at the end of the year, this scalable solution helps to increase productivity and allow your staff to focus more on making clinical decisions and impacting patient care. This solution offers all of the benefits of the BD InoqulA automated microbiology specimen processor while taking advantage of the integrated plate track system that connects the InoqulA to the company’s ReadA Compact automated plate incubation and imaging system. After specimen processing is complete, immediate and automatic transportation of plates to the appropriate incubation condition in BD’s second-generation automated incubators allows for dynamic plate imaging with high-resolution cameras and multiple-light settings for optimal plate-reading conditions.
BD Diagnostics
(410) 316-4000; www.bd.com/ds

Microbiology Specimen Processor
Modular design, small footprint
WASPLab, a sophisticated bar code-driven microbiology specimen processor and workup system from Copan wasp p4-5Copan Diagnostics Inc, Murrieta, Calif, connects with WASP using a conveyor track. WASPLab moves any sample from front-end processing to full specimen management, automated incubation, and digital microbiology. The modular design and small footprint allows laboratories to customize WASPLab for their unique needs.
Copan Diagnostics Inc
(800) 216-4016; www.copanusa.com

Sample Processing Systems
Streamlines pre- and post-analytical processes
The AutoMate 1200 and 2500 sample processing systems from Beckman Coulter Inc, Brea, Calif, help optimize laboratory workflow by streamlining pre- and post-analytical processes, and position the lab for Beckman Automateoptimal performance and labor usage. The systems feature sorting speeds of up to 1,200 tubes per hour and single-point-of-entry technology for efficient tube management, while advanced automated sample loading and sorting minimizes manual handling. An optional recapper delivers safe and convenient transfer of the tube to the archiving stage and for error prevention, cap-color analysis validates sample type against test ordered. The systems feature intuitive software to facilitate ease of use. Intelligent aliquotting and tube labeling eliminate manual sample preparation errors and ensure faster, more accurate secondary tube preparation.
Beckman Coulter Inc
(800) 586-3821; www.beckmancoulter.com

Automated Recapper
Speeds of up to 1,200 tubes per hour
The KapSafe Automated Recapping System form LGP Consulting Inc, Wood River, Ill, is now available to recap tubes in ADVIA Centaur racks, Beckman AU racks, Roche Cobas racks, and Abbott ARCHITECTKapsafe-hi-4x4racks. KapSafe is an automated, pneumatics-free, high-speed, benchtop recapper designed to safely and automatically recap tubes for storage or archiving. The system has a small footprint and automatically recaps all standard vacuum collection tubes at speeds of up to 1,200 tubes per hour. It protects lab workers from repetitive motion injuries associated with manual recapping. The archiving caps fit tubes from 13 mm to 16 mm in diameter, and enable repeated automated decapping and recapping. The system provides walkaway operations with a hopper capacity of 4,200 archiving caps and an input capacity of up to 20 multiple types of racks with multiple-sized tubes in each rack.
LGP Consulting Inc
(618) 251-9246; www.lgpconsulting.com

High-Speed Sorter
Benchtop or stand-alone units
Sarstedt HSS with Bulk LoaderSarstedt’s High Speed Sorter (HSS) from Sarstedt Inc, Newton, NC, is a modular front- and back-end system that automates time-consuming laboratory processes. Options include identification, sorting, decapping, aliquoting, recapping, and the new bulk-loading module, which eliminates the preracking of incoming specimens. Tubes are simply “dumped” into a hopper for walkaway processing. Two components of the system, the Decapper DC 1200 and Recapper RC 1200, are available as benchtop or stand-alone units that process up to 1,200 screw-cap, push-cap, or evacuated tubes per hour.
Sarstedt Inc
(800) 257-5101; www.sarstedt.com

Accessioning and Sorting Instrument
Used with any analytical platform
Sarstedt BL 1200 IDThe Sarstedt BL 1200 ID from Sarstedt Inc, Newton, NC, is a stand-alone accessioning and sorting instrument that can be used in conjunction with any analytical platform. The unit features a bulk loader that eliminates manual sorting and preracking. Multiple tube sizes are accepted, and capped tubes are simply dumped into the loader for walkaway processing. Tubes are automatically singularized, and the tube type and bar code are identified. Sort and distribution rules are customized to targeted analyzer racks, centrifuge adapters, and generic and/or archiving racks on the custom sorting platform(s). Up to 1,200 tubes can be processed per hour.
Sarstedt Inc
(800) 257-5101; www.sarstedt.com

Pre- and Post-Analytical Processing System
Can be customized for each facility
Sarstedt PVS1The Sarstedt PVS 1625 from Sarstedt Inc, Newton, NC, is a comprehensive, modular laboratory automation system for pre- and post-analytical processing. Independent from an analytical platform, the system is customized per facility needs with available modules for loading, identification, decapping, sorting, aliquoting, and recapping. A new screw-cap recapper module is now available that places a screw cap onto Sarstedt aliquot tubes. Aliquots can be made directly into compatible screw-cap tubes and immediately recapped for send-outs or capped post-analysis for archiving. The system is compatible with most analyzer racks and common tube types and dimensions.
Sarstedt Inc
(800) 257-5101; www.sarstedt.com

Automated Body Fluid Cell Count Control
Three-level spinal and body fluid control
Streck Cell-ChexCell-Chex Auto from Streck, Omaha, Neb, is the first automated body fluid cell count control for Abbott, Beckman Coulter, and Sysmex hematology instruments. It is a three-level spinal and body fluid control for evaluating the accuracy and precision of hematology instruments that measures blood cell counts in patient body fluid samples. The assay provides total red blood cell and white blood cell values for the following: Abbott CELL-DYN 3200, Sapphire, and Ruby; Beckman Coulter LH 750/LH 755, LH 780, and UniCel DxH 800; and Sysmex XE-2100, XE-5000, XT-2000i, XT-1800i, and XT-4000i instruments. Two-part WBC differential assay values are also provided for the Sysmex XE-5000 and the XT-4000i. Cell-Chex Auto is packaged in a plastic 3.0-mL vial with a pierceable cap and has 75-day closed-vial stability and a 30-day open-vial stability.
Streck
(800) 843-0912; www.streck.com

Sample Track System
Processes 3,600 samples per hour
Accelerator a3600 from Abbott Diagnostics, Abbott Park, Ill, is a new sample track system to help enhance efficiency, productivity, and patient safety for laboratories. Introduced in April, the automated system can increase a lab’s workload capacity and improve result turnaround times by reducing ABBOTT a360possibilities for testing errors associated with sample handling and by providing performance consistency. It can process up to 3,600 samples per hour, handle multiple tube sizes and types simultaneously, and is designed to automate preanalytical and post-analytical processing, sample-handling, and processing in the lab. The system can be configured to support a lab’s testing volumes, offering the capability to install up to 99 combined analyzers and modules on a single system. Through communication connections among the automation system, analyzers, and the laboratory information system (LIS), and middleware, the system’s automation software provides workload and sample-order management, as well as instrument operational status monitoring. Accelerator p540 is a stand-alone nontrack based, automation platform for smaller labs.
Abbott Diagnostics
(847) 937-6100; www.abbottdiagnostics.com

System to Connect Two Stand-Alone Analyzers
Robotic system features automatic routing
The VersaCell System from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Tarrytown, NY, is a compact, robotic system Siemens H DX VersaCellthat connects up to two stand-alone analyzers in flexible configurations. Its unique sample-management technology features automatic routing that eliminates time-consuming preanalytical sorting and extends a sample tube’s menu testing capabilities. The system enables labs to manage large sample peaks with high-throughput instrument connectivity options. Labs can choose the connectivity options that best meet their testing needs. Currently, the VersaCell System has connectivity to a range of the company’s immunoassay, chemistry, and integrated systems, including the ADVIA 1800 Chemistry System, ADVIA Centaur XP System, IMMULITE 2000 XPi System, and Dimension EXL Integrated Chemistry Systems.
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
(888) 826-9702; usa.healthcare.siemens.com/laboratory-diagnostics

Automation System
Circular track, modular design
The Aptio Automation system from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Tarrytown, NY, is a unified solution combining peak performance, adaptability, and intelligent technologies to seamlessly orchestrate sample Siemens H DX Aptioand information flow in the laboratory. With every lab configured differently and floor space at a premium, the system’s circular track and modular design ensure it can adapt to nearly any lab or testing environment. It also offers connectivity to the company’s portfolio of automation-ready analyzers, thus facilitating a multidisciplinary approach to testing. The system’s point-in-space aspiration feature helps streamline workflow by reducing the need to aliquot (or divide) samples, and its puck-based system with RFID enables individual sample routing and tracking, along with STAT prioritization. It also delivers comprehensive analytics via powerful, centralized information technology, while having the flexibility to provide pre- and post-analytical capabilities.
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
(888) 826-9702; usa.healthcare.siemens.com/laboratory-diagnostics

Automated Hematology Analyzers
Automatically manages more than 90% of EDTA samples
The configurable XN-Series portfolio from Sysmex, Lincolnshire, Ill, realizes the goal of putting more Sysmex XN grouphematology automation in every-sized lab, regardless of test volume. The analyzers share common modules, allowing labs to increase efficiency by selecting the configuration that fits the scale of their laboratory. The XN-9000 integrates up to nine XN modules, tube management, on-demand HbA1c, concentrated reagent, and slidemaker/stainers. This Lavender Top Management solution automatically manages more than 90% of all EDTA samples. Sysmex WAM decision-support software for the clinical lab can be integrated to achieve autovalidation rates greater than 85%. The series includes the XN-1000, with one analytical module; the XN-2000, with two co-primary analytical modules; and the XN-3000 with two co-primary analytical modules and an SP-10 slidemaker/stainer.
Sysmex America Inc
(800) 379-7639; www.sysmex.com/us

Advanced Clinical Parameters
Provides reportable, direct measurements of immature cells
Sysmex, Lincolnshire, Ill, makes advanced clinical hematology parameters available to labs of any size. The Sysmex XN-Series analyzers leverage fluorescent flow cytometry to help labs offer more value on the Sysmex ACP - XN-2000routine CBC. These systems provide reportable, direct measurements of immature cells in peripheral blood. Immature Granulocyte counts, provided with every WBC differential, can provide insight to physicians about leukopoiesis. Indicators of erythropoiesis, including an NRBC with every CRC, Immature Reticulocyte Fraction, and Reticulocyte Hemoglobin, yield information that physicians can use to manage anemia. The Immature Platelet Fraction (IPF) can help physicians make a differential diagnosis of thrombocytopenia. The expansion of the definition of the routine CBC can not only aid in the physician’s diagnosis and monitoring of diseases, but can also enhance the understanding of underlying physiological mechanisms of the disorders.
Sysmex America Inc
(800) 379-7639; www.sysmex.com/us

Sysmex WAM and WAM Select
Centralized database manages rules configuration
Sysmex WAM Result Validation ScreenWAM and WAM Select middleware solutions from Sysmex, Lincolnshire, Ill, support LEAN hematology processes with decision rules that are specifically designed for the needs of the hematology laboratory. These systems are designed to drive reflex and repeat decisions on Sysmex automation and yield unprecedented efficiency in workflow and results management. These scalable middleware solutions can help labs achieve autovalidation rates greater than 85%. WAM provides IHNs with multisite, multi-LIS connectivity, and systemwide rules for rerun/reflex testing and delta checking. WAM centralized QC review and management reports help achieve the most challenging productivity goals. WAM Select connects up two Sysmex analyzers and a slidemaker/stainer with a centralized database and rules engine so users only configure rules once, rather than individually by analyzer.
Sysmex America Inc
(800) 379-7639; www.sysmex.com/us