Brand new laboratory equipment is being installed at the Bulkley Valley District Hospital (BVDH) in Smithers.
The BVDH has purchased a Siemens Attelica general chemistry and immunoassay analyzer, which is currently being installed at the hospital. According to Northern Health, the purchase of the “state-of-the-art” analyzer was supported by the Bulkley Valley Health Foundation and many local donors.
The new machine will replace the hospital’s current chemistry analyzer which was installed in 2010.
“The chemistry analyzer is one of the most important pieces of laboratory equipment at BVDH and is used in approximately 75 per cent of lab tests conducted at the hospital,” Northern Health stated.
The new analyzer is roughly three times faster than the older technology. It will reduce the average testing time to just three minutes and will allow lab staff to spend less time doing routine calibrations and maintenance and more time conducting tests with the new analyzer’s automation features.
Over the next few months, BVDH lab staff will proceed with specialized training for the new analyzer and a quality assurance validation process that involves cross-validation of hundreds of patient samples to ensure precision.
After the training, the new machine will be approved for use by the Northern Health laboratory medical director. It is expected to be in use by mid-2024.
READ MORE: Bulkley Valley District Hospital Auxiliary (BVDHA) purchases over $315K in equipment for hospital