Altoona Hospital Chooses Renol to Improve Osmometer Accuracy - New Reference Material More Accurately Reflects Patient Samples
Advanced Instruments, Inc. (www.aicompanies.com) today announced that Altoona Hospital, Altoona, Pennsylvania, has selected its RenolTM urine reference control to calibrate the osmometer in its diagnostics laboratory. Osmometers are used by clinical laboratories to provide the fastest results in diagnosing drug intoxication, renal function, head trauma, and other applications.
Norwood, MA (PRWEB) May 4, 2005 -- Advanced Instruments, Inc. (http://www.aicompanies.com) today announced that Altoona Hospital, Altoona, Pennsylvania, has selected its RenolTM urine reference control to calibrate the osmometer in its diagnostics laboratory. Osmometers are used by clinical laboratories to provide the fastest results in diagnosing drug intoxication, renal function, head trauma, and other applications.
When Advanced Instruments Renol urine control material became available, we tried it on our osmometer to determine if it would achieve better results," said Doug Decker, assistant lab supervisor, Altoona Hospital. In our trials, we've found that Renol's ranges are more in line with what we would find from our patient samples. The normal range of the constituents in human urine is very wide. And the Renol controls better reflect the normal ranges for osmolality that we expect to see in our patient population. The two are very close. This strong correlation is the main reason we will be switching to Renol. For our lab, it will result in more accurate performance of our osmometer," he said.
Decker also said the while the labs quality control program is in compliance, the addition of Renol has enhanced their efforts. If two control points are acceptable, then four are even better," he said.
Renol is the world's only osmometer-specific control solution designed for laboratories testing urine samples.
We received a lot of feedback that osmometer users were looking for a better material than the multi-analyte controls presently on the market," said Ken Micciche, director of marketing, Advanced Instruments. Our goal was to design a reference solution that goes beyond quality control compliance and helps laboratories such as Altoona Hospital's maximize the accuracy and precision of their instruments."
Micciche explained that the wider tolerances in multi-analyte controls can mask variations in osmometer performance while still maintaining CLIA compliance.
Let's say you want your instrument to perform as optimally as possible. If you use a multi-analyte control with a range of 40 (± 20), your osmometer might test at 35 today and at 8 tomorrow, you may feel secure that your instrument is operating within the claimed specifications of the control. But going from 35 to 8 is a significant swing in performance. On the other hand, if you are using Renol, with an expected range of ±10, you're getting much better control over what's going on. As you collect your data points, you want to observe good, day-to-day control without swings in osmometer performance. It is this capability to operate your machine to very tight control points that ensures the precision of the testing procedure being used," he said.
Micciche said Renol offered additional benefits to the Altoona Hospital Lab. While the material's chemical makeup simulates urine, it is not a biological fluid and is completely safe for laboratory personnel to handle," said Micciche. The aqueous-based solution comes premixed and is ready-to-use. It does not require freezing for storage and it is very stable. Renol comes in formulation values of 300 and 800 mOsm/kg H2O. These concentrations are very close to medical decision levels where performance is critical for the use and interpretation of the test," he said.
About Altoona Hospital
Altoona Hospital is a 346-bed, non-profit regional medical center serving central Pennsylvania. The hospital provides the area with a wide variety of health services, including cardiac care and surgery, cancer treatment, kidney dialysis, pain management, behavioral health services, women's reproductive health, pediatrics, outpatient services, and a regional trauma center.
About Advanced Instruments
Founded in 1955, Advanced Instruments, Inc. is the world's largest supplier of freezing-point osmometers used in clinical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology laboratories. The company is also a leading supplier of analytical instruments and test kits for the food, dairy, and industrial microbiology markets. Based in Norwood, Massachusetts, USA, the company also produces Fiske® Associates brand diagnostic instruments and operates Spiral Biotech, Inc., and Delta Instruments as wholly-owned subsidiaries. Advanced Instruments products are supported by a worldwide network of direct sales people and independent distributors. The company can be found online at http://www.aicompanies.com or contact customer service at 800-225-4034 or +1-781-320-9000.
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