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Saving Time and Lives
St. Anthony’s implements a faster test for infections
Maria Alikhan, medical technologist and microbiology supervisor at St. Anthony’s, uses a new molecular test that identifies the cause of blood infections within two hours after detection of bacteria.
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St. Anthony’s Medical Center recently became the first St. Louis-area hospital to implement a new molecular test known as peptide nucleic acid by fluorescent in-situ hybridization, or PNA FISH, which is used to evaluate infections.
According to St. Anthony’s medical technologist and microbiology supervisor Maria Alikhan, when a patient has a fever, it usually means there is an organism circulating in his or her blood. Blood drawn from the patient is put into a machine that detects the presence of an organism, and then a PNA FISH stain is used to identify the specific type of bacterial or yeast organism.
The PNA FISH test identifies the cause of infections in the blood within just two hours of detecting bacteria; that timetable is as much as 24 hours faster than what was previously possible. This early detection enables medical staff to diagnose patients in less time, resulting in better outcomes and fewer virulent infections.
“In some cases, we will save lives,” Alikhan adds.
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit find a physician online.
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