It used to be that patients would have to set an appointment weeks ahead to have their blood chemistry checked. Then they would have to wait at least one more day to get their results.

To address the issue, the Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital (VCEH) has acquired two new high-end machines that are expected to drastically reduce the waiting time for patients and increase the number of constituents being served by the medical facility.

The two machines manufactured by Beckman Coulter USA are the DXC 600 and the HMX. Both are now available in the medical facility and are expected to increase the number of patients being served by the laboratory, eliminating the waiting list system. This means more patients will be entertained on a daily basis, with results available after just a few hours. Previously, the hospital can only accommodate up to 30 patients per day.

“The services of the hospital will definitely improve what we call the turnaround time,” said Rolando Tecson, MD, director of VCEH. “Before, if you underwent the test today, you will get the result tomorrow.  Now you can get the result of your blood chemistry test within the day, after about two to three hours.”

The DXC 600 is a fully automated blood chemistry analyzer that can run 990 tests per hour, including tests for glucose, triglyceride, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. It is installed in major medical centers like the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital Central Laboratory and Out Patient Department units, the Delos Santos Medical Center, Manila Central University Hospital and Chinese General Hospital.

On the other hand, the HMX is a fully automated five-part differential hematology analyzer that uses three-dimensional version control system and sweep flow innovative technology, allowing it to perform consistently reliable platelet counts. It can perform 75 tests per hour. The machine is being used in Medical Center Manila, Philippine General Hospital – Medical Research Lab, Lung Center of the Philippines, Asian Hospital and Children’s Medical Center, among others.

The Beckman Coulter USA is the pioneer in complete blood count technology, according to Kristine Ann Calonge, product specialist for hematology of Marsman Drysdale Medical Products Inc., the local distributor of the machines. “You can be assured that the products we market are of high quality,” she said.

Despite the upgrades, the hospital assures the public that there is no increase in the cost of blood diagnostic exams.