The new equipment is in, the training is complete and now the lab at St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center is offering new tests, and quicker turn-around times on many others.
The newest St. Rose lab equipment includes state-of-the-art technology that focus on coagulation and hematology; late last year a new chemistry analyzer was installed.
"The coagulation instrument is especially helpful when our patients need to have their protimes checked while they are taking a blood thinner," said Carla Herl, administrative director at the lab. "This needs to be monitored to help ensure that a blood clot does not form."
The PTT test is used before surgery to detect any abnormalities in bleeding time, and the D-dimer test is a quick way to determine if there is an embolism somewhere in the body, Herl added.
"The biggest benefit of this new equipment is that we can do many things much more quickly," Herl said. "Some tests that used to take an hour can now be completed in less than 20 minutes. This is so crucial because saving time can save someone’s life.
"When we can provide results quickly, stress on patients and their families is deceased too," Herl said. "We understand how it feels to wait for a lab result."
New St. Rose testing includes testosterone, immunoglobulin profile, estrogen, progesterone, luetenizing hormone, estradiol, cancer antigens CA 125 and CA 15-3, free T3 and Ostase.
The Ostase test is of special interest to women concerned about osteoporosis, Herl noted. It measures the amount of BAP, or bone alkaline phosphatase, circulating in the body.
"This blood test alone cannot tell whether you have or will develop osteoporosis," Herl said. "But if your doctor thinks you may be at risk, a bone-density test may be ordered. If osteoporosis is diagnosed, the doctor may then use the Ostase test results as a baseline, which gives him or her a tool to monitor how your treatment is working."
The St. Rose lab is accredited by the College of American Pathologists. It is one of only about 45 out of the 2,200 health-care labs in Kansas that can make that claim.
The lab’s hours for outpatient services are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday.
