The urine test is among the oldest tests in medicine, recognizing that its physical and chemical properties constitutes important indicators of health status, positioning itself as a valuable test of the anatomical and functional integrity of the kidneys that is readily available for clinical doctor.
What is a urine test?
A general urine test, also called a urine test, consists of a series of urine tests (macroscopic, physical-chemical and microscopic), constituting one of the most common methods of medical diagnosis. It is considered a renal liquid biopsy that offers excellent information about renal function and acid-base and hydroelectrolytic balances; It can also provide data on metabolic alterations and renal and extra-renal pathologies.
This test is made up of several tests that identify the different substances eliminated by the kidney; Its result is of great importance in the initial study of diseases of urinary or systemic origin, this makes it necessary for your data to be as highly reliable and subsequently correctly interpreted as they can offer information as close as that given by a renal biopsy.
It is among the oldest tests in medicine, recognizing that its physical and chemical properties are important indicators of health status. It remains the essential cornerstone in the evaluation of the kidney, and as well mentioned above it is considered an appropriate screening technique for the finding of renal disorders of the urinary tract and some metabolic alterations. It is used for the detection, diagnosis and monitoring of these disorders.
What advantages does the use of an automated analyzer offer?
The conventional manual technique is a procedure that requires time and considerable work for its realization, which includes two stages for its development: first the physical-chemical examination, which consists of the visual evaluation of the sample and the use of test strips for the chemical study of the same, followed by a microscopic stage, which examines the urinary sediment for the identification and counting of shaped particles, the latter, primarily when the test strip is positive.
In this way, a complete profile of the analysis incorporates between nine and ten chemical determinations made with a test strip, the assessment of the relative density by refractometry, the observation of color and clarity, and the microscopic examination for the detection and counting of different elements. , so no less than twenty different tests are required for each urine sample.
For several years, the study of complete urine evolved to achieve, as in many other areas of the laboratory, automation, providing this a series of advantages that increase the efficiency, performance and productive capacity of the study in pursuit of patients, professionals and the laboratory itself. Therefore, entities such as the C.L.S.I. (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) recommend using a standardized or automated urine test system.
What is achieved with the automation of this analysis?
The automation achieves the elimination of possible variations or sources of error such as the volume of urine and sediment to be analyzed, the time and speed of centrifugation, the surface and counting instrument and the interpretation of what is observed by the staff.
The daily use of this work system provides several improvements, allowing us to:
• Standardize the complete urine study.
• Minimize the number of errors or variations inherent in the technique and the analyst.
• Improve workflow.
• Reduces subjective microscopic observation.
• Reduce the time of manual microscopic review and the repetition of tests.
• Unify the interpretation of the results and criteria of the report.
• Perform a first test of infection markers, combining five measured parameters, which suggest a low or high probability of presenting a urinary infection, providing additional data to medical behavior
• To improve the quality of patient results and decrease their delivery time, helping to detect urinary tract infections.
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