MEDICAL
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
DUKE
VOL. 11, No. 5
DECEMBER, 1964
DUKHA.M, N. V.
Automation Conies
to Clinical Chemistry
Tlie Duke Medical Center may, in
the not too distant future, be able to
take a “giant step” in efficiency and
accuracy in patient care. The Clini
cal Chemistry Laboratory is testing
an automated device which can ])ro-
duce from a single blood sample ten-
j)art serum analysis (sodium, potas
sium, chloride, carbon dioxide, cal
cium, phosphorus, total protein, al
bumin and albumin blank, uric acid).
Two other determinations (sugar
and urea) are done on a separate
machine. All these determinations
can be made from one small tube of
blood, so with a minimum of discom
fort for the patient and a maximum
of speed for the physician a more
complete blood chemistry picture is
available.
The multichannel analyzer has
been employed at Duke during the
last year by Dr. Ralph Thiers, di
rector of the Clinical Chemistry Lab
oratory, assisted by technologists,
Jean Bryan, Judith Wearne and
Glen Boegli. The first year of the
study was supported by a .$3r),()0()
grant from the John A. Hartford
P'oundation. Support of the project
has now been assumed by the Medi
cal Center. With the machine opera
tional, focus of the study will shift to
two questions: first, is it medically
meaningfid, and second, how does
one fit so radical a departure inlo
routine hospital operation.
In most hosi>itals chemical determi
nations increase from 10 to 30 per
cent each year. In 1960 the Duke
laboratory performed 100,000 de
terminations. This year the number
will be over 250,000. Twenty years
Jean Bryan and Judith Wearne check the multichannel analyzer in the Clinical Chemistry
Laboratory. Miss Wearne is reading one of the twin-pen recordings produced by the
machine.
(Photo by R. McKee)
ago, the Duke laboratory was able to
perform about 15 different tests. To
day, over 50 different tests are per-
foruu'd, often involving more than
1,000 determiiuitions a day. Sheer
volume demands an automated ap
proach.
The door to nndtichanuel automa
tion was opened several years ago
with the advent of tandem auto an
alyzers, which can perform two de
terminations at once, and the later
introduction of the electrolyte an
alyzer, which performs four tests.
Duke was one of the pioneers in the
use of the latter instrument, and,
according to Dr. Thiers, it has proved
a valuable medical tool and has nuule
it possible to do the four tests for the
price of two.
Miss Bryan places blood samples in rack
on analyzer.
(Duke photo by Sparks)