Product News: Siemens Healthineers launches next-gen hematology analyzers

Siemens Healthineers is now offering two new solutions for high-volume hematology testing, the Atellica® HEMA 570 Analyzer and the Atellica® HEMA 580 Analyzer. Vital to patient care, the complete blood count (CBC) is among the most performed diagnostic tests in the lab and often provides the first indication of illness in a patient. Physicians depend on the lab to deliver critical hematology information reliably. Traditionally, hematology testing is complex, time-sensitive, and requires experienced laboratory staff to evaluate results before physicians receive them. Broad use of CBC testing and increasing staff shortages affect the lab's ability to rapidly review and release patients' test results. The Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers offer integrated automation and intelligence to break down barriers that hinder workflow efficiency and produce patient results faster. 

"We hear from labs that they need agility, reliability, and speed," said Sharon Bracken, Head of Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers. "The Atellica HEMA analyzers combine workflow improvements with demonstrated technology to bring hematology testing into the future. We're delivering the breakthroughs labs need to produce quality patient results faster." 

Turnaround time expectations for routine CBCs in hospital or critical care settings often are one hour or less. For STATs, target turnaround times are ideally less than 10 minutes. The Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers can produce a throughput of up to 120 tests per hour. Their user-friendly designs significantly reduce time-consuming daily maintenance while supporting rapid reagent changes. 

The most vulnerable patients — oncology, renal, and neonatal, for example — require hematology testing to monitor progress and inform care adjustments. Small variations in patient results can be critical if not flagged, or if incorrectly interpreted. Hematology expertise in the lab is disappearing due to a shrinking labor pool. The Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers employ advanced data management capabilities to mitigate the expertise gap and empower staff of any skill level during result interpretations.

To save time and provide physicians information faster, normal results — those that do not violate pre-established criteria—are released directly into a laboratory information system via the analyzers' rules-based auto validation capability. Abnormalities are flagged and coded by severity to clearly indicate which patient samples require a technician's closer attention. When results require follow-up actions such as dilutions or slide reviews, standardized guidance can be displayed to ensure that staff perform next steps in accordance with lab protocols. 

"The Atellica HEMA Analyzers are fast, very easy-to-use, intuitive instruments," said Dr. Laura Ciardelli, Biologist and Laboratory Hematology Manager, Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. "Regarding clinical performance, we evaluated various types of samples, both low- and high-cell counts. And for every parameter and every different type of situation we always obtained optimal performance, both for sensitivity and repeatability. " 

The Atellica HEMA 570 Analyzer measures 43 cell parameters. An additional 12 parameters are available on the Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzer, including immature red blood cell indicators relevant to certain patient populations, and an optical-based platelet count that reduces analytical interferences found in other detection technologies. Up to six Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers can be integrated together to maximize throughput with intelligent, automated workload balancing and reflexive testing that minimizes operator involvement. 

To further simplify workflow, Scopio Labs' full-field digital cell morphology technology can operate adjacent to the Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 Analyzers, enabling clinical laboratorians to examine patient blood cell samples digitally instead of under a microscope. The Scopio X100 and Scopio X100HT imaging platforms complement the Siemens Healthineers systems to offer labs high-resolution, full-field viewing for peripheral blood specimens and artificial intelligence-based morphological analysis with remote viewing capabilities through the secure hospital network.