Media Release
Mangaluru, Nov 7: KMC Hospitals, part of Manipal Health Enterprises - South India’s largest healthcare chain - in a bid to upgrade to better technology and provide best medical services unveiled high-end 'flow cytometry' equipment at the pathology and hematology laboratory at KMC.
This equipment will help in conducting sophisticated high end tests and is the only hospital in the region (except Manipal) to provide this service.The equipment was inaugurated by renowned pathologist and medical expert in the field of cytometry and hematology Dr Anil Handoo, Consultant from BLK Super Specialty Hospital.
Flow cytometry is a powerful diagnostic and research technique used in laboratories and clinical research. It provides diagnostic and therapeutic tools to the clinician and offers great opportunities to the scientists. It has broad application in medicine (especially in transplantation, hematology, tumor immunology and chemotherapy, prenatal diagnosis, genetics). Applications in hematology include DNA content analysis, leukemia and lymphoma phenotyping, immunologic monitoring of HIV infected individuals, and assessment of structural and functional properties of erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets.
Present at the event Dr Urmila Khadilkar, director KMC Laboratory Services said, "We are happy to add this latest technology to our laboratory. The unique feature of this device is that it provides performance in an easy to use system allowing you to focus on the science and not the instrumentation. This has superior sensitivity and resolution throughout all configurations giving it an edge over other similar systems which are four times its size."
The use of flow cytometry in the clinical laboratory has grown substantially in the past decade. It provides rapid analysis of multiple characteristics of single cells. Flow cytometry is used for immunophenotyping of variety of specimens, including whole blood, bone marrow, serous cavity fluids, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and appropriately processed solid tissues. Characteristics that can be measured include cell size, cytoplasmic complexity, DNA or RNA content, and a wide range of membrane-bound and intracellular proteins. This qualitative and quantitative technique has made the transition from a research tool to standard clinical testing. A multiparameter flow cyotometry is an invaluable tool in the diagnosis, classification and monitoring of patients with leukemias.
"KMC is a front runner when it comes to using latest cutting edge technology. Clinical excellence and patient centricity are our prime ethos. Such initiatives are taken in the lieu of these credos. The introduction of flow cytometry will induce a fresh perspective in the field of pathology. It’s definitely a milestone for us to enhance the services of clinical pathology and hematology and the tests can be performed with scientific acumen and precision. Large number of people can now have accurate diagnosis. This is definitely a great moment to showcase our technology upgradation and a team of excellent doctors on board to take this to the next level," said Dr Anand Venugopal, medical superintendent, KMC Hospitals, Mangaluru.