Two New fCAL turbo Video Testimonials from Portugal

BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo is for Research Use Only in the US. Not to be used in diagnostic procedures.
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Unilabs Portugal, a private European lab chain, made a comprehensive evaluation of different Calprotectin assays on the market and found many discrepancies with assays from other suppliers. Finally, they chose the BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo simply because it is faster, easier and reliable with a simple non-demanding workflow. Watch the interview with Dr. Carlos Torres. Find a short version and the full interview below.

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Read Unilab Success Story

Interview with Dr. João Pedro Ramos, Torres Grupo Unilabs Portugal

Dr. João Pedro Ramos, MD Clinical Pathologist – Medical Laboratory Director, Unilabs Portugal

The Unilabs Group is currently the largest lab in Portugal. And we just grew by acquisition to almost 8,000 patients a day. That means we are currently the largest Portuguese laboratory and one of the largest laboratories in Europe. We cover all areas of clinical analysis from haematology to transfusion medicine, all immunoassays, genetics, pathological anatomy, and molecular biology.

Dr. João Pedro Ramos, several months ago you decided to implement the BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo on your Advia Chemistry system.  Can you tell me why?

We were one of the first units to provide the calprotectin test in Portugal. Since the beginning we have been using BÜHLMANN technology. We have started by measuring the calprotectin with the point-of-care system, the Quantum Blue®. However, this system was no longer compatible with our growth and increasing volumes of the calprotectin test. This has raised the need for automation and it is the reason why we have changed to use the BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo version.

What advantages do you see in the routine use BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo?

With BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo, we can use the analytical chemistry equipment we have in the laboratory, the Advia Chemistry system. Besides the calprotectin test is performed routinely and without any interference in our laboratory daily routine. By switching to BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo we gained a lot of flexibility in our work model. There was a clear improvement of the laboratory workflow management.

Can you tell me about your experience implementing the BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo assay on your Advia clinical chemistry analyzer?

Initially we used the point-of-care system, this technology was more complex and required skilled technicians. Nowadays, the test is carried out by those who routinely process stool samples. After extraction, the samples are delivered to the clinical chemistry analyzer division and performed without any interference in our laboratory routine.

During the evaluation of the BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo technology, did you also consider and evaluate other methods?

Yes, we did compare the whole process with other available methods in the market, including sample extraction, preparation and results. Actually, our evaluation included various suppliers, including suppliers of high international reputation. Although these alternatives seemed to be technically simple, the truth is that the number of discrepancies found in our population was too high. And based on the explanations we got, we
have decided for the BÜHLMANN technology,which is indeed the first one to appear in the market.

Which extraction method do you use?  What is your impression of the technique?

We use the CALEX® extraction device produced by BÜHLMANN. The CALEX® device is of a simplicity to all the proof. It has allowed us to have unacquainted technicians preparing the samples extracts and deliver them to the analytical chemistry division to be performed during the
laboratory routine. We never had problems with this methodology.

*This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

 

Laboratorio Germano de Sousa, a large privately hold clinical laboratory in Portugal with over 1.2 Mio patient samples per year runs the BÜHLMANN fCAL®turbo on an Advia 2400 chemistry analyzer. The analyzer is attached to total laboratory automation (TLA) solution from Siemens/Inpeco. Find a short version and the full interview below.

Short Video

Full Video