Last week we received a call from the head of the laboratories of the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (CDB, Centre de Diagnòstic Biomèdic), asking if we could be able to fill a special type of tubes with some liquid, to help the process of preparing the Covid-19 tests with PCR. If possible, we could adapt the current AQUA7000 system working in the Sample Reception zone of their laboratories.
After getting to the detail we proposed a modification in our AQUA system consisting of:
– Create a new operation mode, user selectable, so that these changes would not disturb the normal routine work of the system.
– In such mode of operation, the system would take samples tubes from the input rack zone, and, without asking the LIS, it would aspirate 2ml of reagent into them.
– The reagent liquid would be accommodated in a glass container, as close as possible to the dispensed tube, for minimizing travel distance.
– The AQUA system uses tips of 1000ul, so two complete aspirations would be needed to fill 2ml in each tube.
The lab accepted this proposal and we started our software (mainly, as it needs to reverse the usual behavior of the system!) and firmware modifications where needed. After some testing, in 3 days we were starting the tests in the lab.
They have been using the system for several days in such mode after the daily routine work of the lab is done, usually from 7am to 3pm. The team in Sample reception uses then the AQUA in this special mode from 3pm to 7pm aprox, to prepare 1000 tubes with the lysis buffer ready to receive the swab with material of the patient.
After all, we hope having helped increment the amount of tests ready to process!