At PGI, blood test reports’ time to reduce by 4-6 hours from 15 hours

Chandigarh: Time for receiving reports for most blood tests in PGI will be cut by four to six hours from 15 hours. This because the PGI’s haematology department has established an advanced fully automated haemogram laboratory catering to the institute’s heavy OPD patient workload.

The new laboratory, inaugurated by PGI director Prof Vivek Lal on Tuesday, is fully equipped with the latest instruments to test blood samples, and automatically prepare slides for examination by pathologists.

The haemogram includes tests like hemoglobin, platelet count and white blood cell count as well as differential count, reticulocyte count. These are very commonly requested tests by clinical services, and this new initiative will cut down the time for reports.

In addition to basic tests, the new machines are also equipped with new features like fluorescent platelet counts (useful in dengue patients), detection of fragmented red blood cells in microangiopathic anaemia as well as early detection of iron deficiency through reticulocyte haemoglobin content. They will also detect abnormal cells in patients with infections and blood cancer.

Prof Lal said, “It is a matter of pride for the institute to have state-of-the-art laboratories that compare with the best in the world, and the administration was in full support of further such advancements that ease the life of patients.” Prof Reena Das, head of the department of haematology, said basic tests are often the most important as they impact the largest number of patients.