I was just kidding Saro about the API comment because she said it was the "best"
system. That's obviously debatable.
The lab I'm working in now uses Sunquest paperless micro (I don't know what
version). I had used a paperless system at my previous place of employment
(Antrim) that was really nice. It was newly installed in July of 1999. Antrim is
now part of Sunquest but the systems are not anything alike. I'm used to SQ now,
but I found that learning it takes awhile. Using one or two semicolons in front of
everything freetexted is somewhat disconcerting to the unitiated. After doing
paperless, I would have a hard time going back to paper worksheets. It's so much
faster! We are a high volume reference laboratory, and if we had to shuffle paper
on 300+ specimens a day we would go stark raving mad!
I've used Vitek for over 15 years and never had a lot of trouble with bubbles. If
you put the straw in and turn it in the hold like they say to do before you put it
in the vacuum chamber, you really don't have any trouble. There are also no
reagents to fool with, and you can store a lot of cards in a small space. The
cards also have long outdates.
I used API's when they first came out, but then went to a different employer and
did general lab stuff for a couple of years, and then was a marketing rep for a
reference lab for two years. By the time I got back to the lab, Vitek was being
used almost exclusively, with API's for backup purposes only.
My previous employer and my current one both use LIM broths. We set up LIM's on
all female genital specimens and sub them if there is no group B on the original
plates. Any specimens cultured for group B only gets put directly into LIM and
subcultured the next day. My previous employer treated screens the same way, but
other genital specimens didn't get the LIM added. I personally think it is
overkill to use LIM on ALL specimens, as it's only pregnant women that run into
trouble, but I currently work for a hospital based reference lab, and my previous
job was with a private reference lab that got specimens on outpatients, so cost was
more of an issue. We had a large OBGYN clientele and they knew to order screens on
their pregnant patients, so I don't think we missed anything significant.
So, you must have trained about the same time that I did! I got out of training in
July of 1974 and have spent most of the last 26 years in micro, although I did some
general lab work besides the two year marketing stint.
Hope this answers your questions!
Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
Microbiology
WasGross wrote:
> I think it can often be what one is use to. Our lab uses Microscan (rapid
> and conventional )and API 20E's (rarely). I can inoculate an API rather quickly
> but having also been in Micro for 26 years I gained experience with them when
> we used them as the only ID system in our lab many years ago.
> I found the bubbles in the Vitek cards a big pain. But I know labs that use
> the Vitek and love it. The lab I work in has only "looked" at it and never used
> it on a regular basis.
> What LIS does the lab you work in use, Judy?
> Do you use Lim Broths for GBS?
> I like to chat with other Clinical Lab Microbiologists.
> Oh... I do not work for API or Microscan.
>
