Effective February 10, 2022, Spectrum Health Regional Laboratory will offer Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) PCR testing on swab specimens collected from cutaneous and mucocutaneous lesions (e.g. anorectal, genital, nasal, ocular, oral, skin, urethral).
PCR is the test method of choice for the diagnosis of VZV infection due to its enhanced sensitivity and speed as compared to traditional viral cultures, which should no longer be used for VZV detection.
Go Live Date delayed to 3/3/2022
Go-Live Date: 3/2/2022
Due to new instrumentation at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital Laboratory (BIRL) and to standardize across the Spectrum Health system, we will be adopting new tests for AST and ALT. The difference between our current test and this new test is the addition of the co-factor pyridoxal phosphate (Vitamin B6). The new test is the recommended test of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and ultimately will provide our patient population more accurate AST and ALT results. We did not adopt the new test in the past because it came with logistical and stability issues that made its use in the lab difficult. The new instrumentation we obtained has solved some of these concerns.
Historically, if patients had a Vitamin B6 deficiency, their AST and ALT levels may have been falsely lower than the true values. This decrease was due to the lack of endogenous co-factor causing a slower reaction rate when we tested the patient sample. After we implement the new test across the system, you may notice an increase in your patient’s AST and ALT results. This increase may be evidence that your patient had some degree of Vitamin B6 deficiency. If you were trending results, we recommend you establish a new baseline with the new test versions. The lab has been changed slightly in EPIC to prevent trending between the two test versions, since the results may not be able to be correlated if your patient had a Vitamin B6 deficiency.
To provide efficient and safe testing for patient specimens, please review the following information when sending COVID-19 PCR and Influenza A/B PCR testing in the same encounter to Spectrum Health Laboratories.
Two labels will be available for this testing. Labels must be fixed so that
• The test and patient information are shown
• The barcode may be easily scanned by Lab staff or instruments
When this is not done correctly, Laboratory staff removes the labels and re-fixes or re-prints it, which obstructs workflow, causes delays, and could result in patient information being peeled off. With patient safety and efficient testing being two of the Lab’s top priorities, it is vital that specimens arrive in such a way as to best accomplish both.
On January 24th, 2022 Rubella Antibody, IgG, Serum (LAB496) and Rubella IgG Antibody Quantitative (LAB3544) will be combined as LAB496 and moved to the Immunochemistry laboratory due to reagent constrains with the current vendor.
Testing will be available Monday-Friday with a turn-around-time of 1-3 days. Results will be reported qualitatively as Immune or Not Immune. If quantitative results are needed, please fax Immunochemistry at 616-267-2771 or call 616-267-2770.
Effective February 1, 2022, the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Carrier Screen test, which includes the 23 common variants for cystic fibrosis recommended by ACOG/ACMG, will be discontinued as an orderable test at Spectrum Health Laboratory.
The recommended replacement test is the Cystic Fibrosis Mutation Analysis (Test ID: CFP) offered by Mayo Clinic Laboratories, a 106-variant panel which includes the recommended 23 common variants.
Spectrum Health and Spectrum Health Medical Group (SHMG) Supply Chain Update:
AbbottTM has discontinued their Mono Test Kit. The identified replacement product is from Cardinal HealthTM. This product is already in use in some spaces throughout Spectrum Health. Please see ITM number for the replacement product below and update your ordering processes accordingly.
Discontinued Product: ITM-1002651 Kit Test Mono CLIA Waived (Abbott 92407)
Replacement Product: ITM-1049839 Test Mono II Rapid (Cardinal Health CH1145)
The mitigation strategies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the spread of this virus led to essentially non-existent influenza prevalence during the 2020-2021 winter season. However, influenza has now returned and case numbers are increasing throughout West Michigan.
Influenza prevalence guides the most appropriate testing approach and sufficient prevalence has now been reached for influenza rapid antigen testing (e.g. Sofia instrument) to have improved performance. The use of rapid antigen testing as a screening method during high prevalence reduces both the cost to the patient and turn-around-time as compared to lab-based molecular methods. Rapid antigen tests generally have high analytical specificity, but lack the sensitivity of nucleic acid amplification methods (e.g. PCR). For this reason, PCR testing is still recommended for hospitalized patients and for outpatients with a negative antigen result if influenza is still suspected and if the result will impact clinical decision making.
Effective December 6, 2021, Spectrum Health Reference Laboratory (SHRL) Coagulation department will go live with a new lot of Prothrombin Time (Protime/PT) reagents. The reference range for the PT will be adjusted to reflect this reagent lot change and align with our Regional Laboratories. The new reference range will be 9.5 – 12.0 seconds. There will be no change to the INR ranges.
| Test | Current Reference Range | New Reference Range |
| Prothrombin Time (PT) | 9.7 – 12.6 seconds | 9.5 – 12.0 seconds |
The supply of the Sofia Strep Test Kits (ITM-1052057) has returned to a stable level allowing the system to migrate back to this Strep Test kit solely. Please note once the remaining supply of the alternative strep test kit (Cardinal – ITM-1157857) is depleted, the item will be inactivated.
Due to this change, please ensure competencies are up to date for the Sofia Strep test kit.
Procedure Reference #17340, #24118.
Test Information:
Effective immediately, Thyroglobulin Antibody will be performed at Spectrum Health Reference Laboratory (SHRL, Grand Rapids, MI) and will no longer be a sendout to Mayo Clinical Laboratories. Collection instructions and other information may have changed, please visit the lab catalog for more information.
Thyroglobulin Tumor Marker will continue to be a sendout. If a Thyroglobulin Antibody is ordered with a Thyroglobulin Tumor Marker, then the Thyroglobulin Antibody will automatically be canceled as Mayo Clinic Laboratories will perform the Thyroglobulin Antibody as well as the Tumor Marker.
For questions and inquiries, please use the “Contact Us” link above.
New test: Thyroglobulin Antibody [LAB1230840]
Former test: Thyroglobulin Antibody, Serum [LAB1230457]
Mentioned Test: Thyroglobulin, Tumor Marker, Serum [LAB864]