PixCell Medical, maker of a rapid diagnostic product, announced that NSW Pathology, the provider of public pathology services for the New South Wales (NSW) government, will deploy PixCell’s HemoScreen hematology analyzer for rapid, lab-accurate Complete Blood Count (CBC) testing, accessible at the point of care.
PixCell has worked closely with NSW Health Pathology over the past year to evaluate the HemoScreen and the public pathology service provider is ready to implement the point-of-care testing (POCT) tech in facilities across the state.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT
HemoScreen will enable true POCT in terms of operation, electronic result delivery through an Internet of Things approach, ease-of-use, and transportability, while still providing core lab quality results. Outside of Sweden and Denmark, Australia will be the first country to get HemoScreen devices, which will soon be implemented throughout NSW.
The collaboration includes the installation of a large number of HemoScreen devices that provide the full 5-part differential CBC test with comprehensive abnormal cell flagging. In this initial deployment, NSW Health Pathology will implement HemoScreen devices within small labs, in large emergency departments without onsite labs, and to upgrade some existing technology. The devices will then be further assessed for utility in oncology clinics and other settings.
THE LARGER TREND
NSW Health Pathology is making substantial progress in its POCT capabilities to better serve NSW’s residents. In November 2019, NSW Health Pathology, eHealth NSW and Microsoft partnered to trial a first-of-its-kind POCT, which allows patients to be tested, whether it is in the back of an ambulance, on a football field or while undergoing surgery, with their results available to clinicians in real time.
ON THE RECORD
“We recognize the need to simplify real-time blood testing and are proud to work with NSW Health Pathology to increase accessibility to POC diagnostics,” said Avishay Bransky, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of PixCell Medical. “HemoScreen delivers accurate readings of 20 standard blood count parameters, which are routinely used to check the overall health status of a patient. The CBC has recently found valid to monitor the severity of COVID-19 and the progression of the disease.”
