Automated blood culture system to speed up diagnoses at SSGH

Vadodara: The microbiology laboratory at the state-run SSG Hospital received an upgrade with the installation of an automated blood culture system capable of processing 80 samples at a time.The system was provided through the CSR initiative of Getco. Blood culture tests are critical for patients suffering from bacteraemia and septicaemia, particularly those admitted to ICUs. Until now, the laboratory relied on manual blood culture methods, which typically took five to seven days for reporting and were prone to contamination during subculture processes."The new automated system will significantly reduce the turnaround time to one to three days, ensuring early and accurate diagnosis in critically ill patients. As the system eliminates the need for manual subculture, risk of contamination is minimal, improving reliability and saving time and resources," said Dr Ranjan Aiyer, medical superintendent at SSG Hospital.With a capacity to handle 80 samples at a time, the system is expected to process between 800 and 1,000 samples each month. Authorities said the upgrade was pending for a long time and will enhance service quality.In addition, an automated bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) system is also being procured through CSR support and is expected to be installed within a month. "Currently, identification and AST are carried out manually, which has limitations," he said.Once operational, the new system will enable faster and more precise identification of pathogens isolated from clinical samples and determine their susceptibility to various classes of antibiotics. "This will help develop a robust antibiogram and implement an effective antibiotic policy," he added.