Clinical Laboratory
Introduction
The division
consists of clinical pathology laboratories, a physiological laboratory and
anatomical pathology laboratories. There
are five clinical pathology laboratories devoted to bio-chemistry, serology,
hematology, urinalysis, and bacteriology and blood banking. The physiological
laboratory consists of four sections in which ultrasonography (US) electrocardiography,
electro-encephalography, and respiratory function tests are performed. Three
staff physicians and 2 technicians manage these sections. These laboratories
assist clinical activities of physicians and surgeons by providing reliable
data rapidly.
The anatomical pathology laboratories, staffed by 3 consultant pathologists and 5 technicians, deal with surgical, cytological and autopsy specimens. All the data gathered by this section are computer-filed, and accessible to physicians at any time.
Routine Activities
The clinical
laboratory division has 6 doctors, 17 technicians and 2 assistants. Data quality
control and laboratory management are discussed in monthly meetings attended
by doctors and the chief tech-nicians. Several weekly conferences in each
section are held to monitor data quality control.
The most
important role of the clinical pathology laboratories is rapid and highly
reliable data provision to support prompt therapeutic decision makings by
doctors. We employ a bar-code system for specimen identification and an automatic
analyzing system.
The bacteriology
laboratory plays an important role in infection control at the hospital, reporting
not only routine data but also monthly, quarterly and yearly statistical data
of hospital infections. We have introduced MGIT, a new culture system for
acid-fast bacilli to provide rapid data, which are active in the control of
hospital infection.
The roles
of the blood banking section are typing blood, screening for irregular antibodies,
and supplying blood at the request of doctors.
In the
physiological laboratory, US is an important screening examination for malignancies
in the neck and abdomen. Cardiac US provides valuable information on preoperative
patients with cardiac disorders and on patients who underwent chemo-therapy
with cardiac toxicity. The US filing systems have been introduced.
The anatomical pathology laboratories are engaged in the routine works of evaluating surgical, cyto-logical, and autopsy materials, and lab personnel are responsible for making histological and cytological diagnoses. To examine specimens in detail, immunohistochemical approaches and/or genetic analyses are frequently employed.
|
Number of Laboratory Tests Examined
in 1995-2000 |
||||||
|
Section |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
|
Urinalysis |
98,640 |
117,440 |
132,396 |
139,568 |
148,862 |
164,676 |
|
Hematology |
259,388 |
283,725 |
337,205 |
354,182 |
355,947 |
360,565 |
|
Biochemistry |
709,597 |
747,924 |
892,794 |
958,767 |
1,063,769 |
1,141,489 |
|
Serology |
63,918 |
79,583 |
65,855 |
74.763 |
77,189 |
84,414 |
|
Bacteriology |
16,939 |
17,620 |
21,411 |
20,429 |
21,920 |
18,120 |
|
Surgical Pathol |
6,629 |
7,293 |
8,180 |
8,452 |
8,198 |
10,037 |
|
Cytology |
6,299 |
6,625 |
7,057 |
6,881 |
6,692 |
7,066 |
|
Blood Banking |
14,949 |
20,479 |
24,727 |
22,361 |
24,224 |
22,652 |
|
Physiology |
20,919 |
22,412 |
23,131 |
23,754 |
40,292 |
39,532 |
|
Total |
1,197,228 |
1,303,101 |
1,512,756 |
1,609,746 |
1,747,093 |
1,848,551 |
|
Number of Examinations in the
Anatomical Pathology in 1995-2000 |
||||||
|
Examinations |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
|
Biopsy |
5,262 |
5,890 |
6,713 |
6,908 |
6,702 |
8,402 |
|
Operation |
1,367 |
1,403 |
1,467 |
1,544 |
1,496 |
1,635 |
|
Cytology |
6,299 |
6,625 |
7,057 |
6,881 |
6,692 |
7,066 |
|
Autopsy |
49 |
35 |
33 |
23 |
22 |
16 |
(Y. NISHIWAKI)
(M. HATA)
