Instrumentation Laboratory, Lexington, Mass, introduces the GEM® Premier3000 with iQM, a product designed to measure blood gas, electrolytes, glucose, lactate, and hematocrit. iQM is an automated quality assurance system, replacing conventional QC. It continuously monitors the entire analytical process, automatically detects errors, and performs corrective actions, reducing error detection time to minutes, thus enhancing test results and patient care and reducing costs. (800) 955-9525; www.ilus.com.


ITC, Edison, NJ, offers the IRMA TRUpoint®, which measures pH, blood gases, hematocrit, electrolytes, creatinine, and other chemistries easily at the patient’s side, so users can make critical treatment decisions without delay. IRMA TRUpoint utilizes electrochemical-sensor technology with an interactive touch screen that easily guides users through the test procedure. Patient results are available on average in 60 to 90 seconds using single-use test cartridges. Each cartridge is self-calibrating and requires no additional reagents. Other features include automatic EQC, bar-code scanning, security features, results printing, connectivity, and data management. These features help improve regulatory compliance, reduce medical errors, and enable clinicians to intervene early in a patient’s treatment. (800) 631-5945; www.itcmed.com.


Nova Biomedical, Waltham, Mass, introduces the Stat Profile® pHOx® respiratory analyzer. This compact blood gas/chemistry analyzer incorporates a seven-test menu including pH, Po2, Pco2, So2%, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and lactate to provide a comprehensive diagnostic picture of oxygen transport. It uses a liquid-only calibration system that eliminates bulky compressed tanks, gas regulators, gas tubing lines, and humidifiers. A totally automated quality control system is contained within a single on-board auto-cartridge QC pack. To promote blood conservation, the pHOx Respiratory Analyzer uses just 125 µL of whole blood to measure the entire seven-test menu, and only 60 µL for a three-test micro-sample. (800) 458-5813; www.novabiomedical.com.


Osmetech Inc, Roswell, Ga, manufactures and markets the OPTI line of blood gas, electrolyte, and glucose analyzers. The newest OPTI has a color touch screen that incorporates step-by-step pictures for easy operation. The OPTI is a portable blood gas analyzer that directly measures tHb and So2 in addition to blood gas, electrolytes, and glucose. The OPTI provides a maintenance-free system with single-use cassettes stored at room temperature that contain all the sensors and calibrating solutions.  (800) 490-6784; www.osmetech.com.


Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics Division, Tarrytown, NY, offers the Rapidlab 1200 analyzer, a high-throughput, low-maintenance blood gas instrument designed to address key challenges facing today’s laboratories. Delivering results for all test parameters in approximately 1 minute and with minimal maintenance requirements, the Rapidlab 1200 automated blood gas instrument provides the speed, accuracy, and required “up-time” needed for clinical staff to make critical care decisions in a timely manner. The Rapidlab 1200 system offers a comprehensive test menu, including pH, blood gas, electrolytes, metabolites, and CO-oximetry—all from a single sample. Utilizing cartridge-based technology, the Rapidlab 1200 system eliminates cumbersome gas tanks and reagent bottles, minimizing maintenance requirements and enhancing the analyzer’s ease of use. (800) 255-3232; www.bayerdiag.com.


Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, offers the OMNI S blood gas analyzer, which includes the test parameter bilirubin and can provide results from a sample size as small as 40 µL for a combination of bilirubin and co-oximetry. The stat neonatal bilirubin results are provided in less than 1 minute after sample application. Roche OMNI S blood gas analyzers also include a fully automated quality control system (Auto QC) with up to 40 days of QC onboard, zero maintenance electrodes, and liquid calibration that eliminates the need for gas tanks. In addition, its software design enables easy access and control of patient data. (800) 428-5076; www.roche-diagnostics.com.


RAM Scientific, Yonkers, NY, introduces SAFE-T-FILL® blood gas capillary tubes, which are 100% plastic for safe capillary blood collection to meet all federal and state laboratory safety compliance requirements. These capillary tubes are ideal for replacing glass capillary, Natelson, and Caraway tubes.  Available with either sodium or balanced heparin, and in a variety of sizes, SAFE-T-FILL blood gas capillary tubes may be used for blood gas analysis, as tests for multiple analytes, or as a transfer device for PKU and POC testing. (800) 535-6734; www.ramsci.com


The i-STAT CG4+ blood gas cartridge, from i-STAT, East Windsor, NJ, is one of five cartridges in the i-STAT blood gas product line. The CG4+ is a standard blood gas cartridge panel but includes lactate. Lactate has proven to be a valuable test in certain goal-directed therapy protocols for pediatric heart surgery as well as in the management of sepsis. The CG4+ returns results in 2 minutes with a small sample volume of whole blood. Other i-STAT blood gas panels are available with a variety of parameters to suit individual department needs. (800) 323-9100; www.i-stat.com.