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Gaining Efficiencies Through Process Improvement in Critical Care

Optimizing blood analysis processes in critical care

Today, critical care departments such as the Intensive Care (ICU), Neonatal ICU (NICU), Cardiovascular ICU (CICU) and Coronary Care Unit (CCU) are being shaped by the need to meet established goal-directed therapy, vent-weaning and patient safety protocols. Additional issues associated with critical care include blood loss, the need to reduce patient length of stay (LOS), and costs from delays and prolonged treatments.

As a result, time is of the essence, creating a need for real-time blood testing results. However, pre-analytic process steps associated with central lab testing slow diagnostic test results, diagnosis, and treatment, and increase the potential for errors. This may negatively affect patient care.

While traditional blood analysis processing can delay critical test results, the i-STAT® System simplifies the blood analysis process.

The i-STAT System works with all critical care departments and provides clinicians with greater control over patient management by providing lab-quality results in minutes. By reducing the number of complex steps in the blood-testing process, bedside testing with the i-STAT System reduces the potential for errors, accelerates availability of critical test information to help expedite diagnosis and disposition of patients,1 and helps to improve department efficiency.

See the difference between traditional processing and the simplified i-STAT System.

The i-STAT System offers the following:

  • the most comprehensive bedside testing platform available
  • cartridges for the most commonly ordered tests in all critical care areas, including: blood gases; chemistries; lactate; electrolytes; hemoglobin and hematocrit; and coagulation (including PT/INR)
  • help with meeting established department protocols
  • an easy-to-use design that allows clinicians to leverage the power of a single, integrated bedside testing solution
  • improved financial outcomes by increasing efficiencies in critical care units and throughout the continuum of care2,3
  • the ability to reduce pressure on lab technicians, freeing them to focus on more complex, time-consuming tests

Laboratory

References

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  1. Ryan RJ, Lindsell CJ, Hollander JE, et al. A multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing central laboratory and point-of-care cardiac marker testing strategies: The Disposition Impacted by Serial Point of Care Markers in Acute Coronary Syndromes (DISPO-ACS) Trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2008 Aug 6. (Epub ahead of print).
  2. Bailey TM, Topham TM, Wantz S, et al. Laboratory process improvement through point-of-care testing. Jt Comm J Qual Improv. 1997;23:362-380.
  3. Price CP. Point of care testing. BMJ. 2001;322:1285-1288.

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"Point of Care testing helps us meet the rigorous demands of a critical care environment. It is portable, easy-to-use and performs a complete panel of tests from a single platform. The results are displayed within 2-10 minutes, depending on the test. Having access to the information quickly helps me monitor and manage our seriously ill patients. Critical tests include blood gases, electrolytes, chemistries, coagulation, lactate and cardiac markers."

Mary Ernst, R.N.,
Nursing Director,
Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami

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