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Programs & Services
Other Health Services
Laboratory Services
Our laboratory supports the specialized needs of our very active Emergency & Urgent Care Centres, Regional Advanced Cardiac, Orthopaedics, Vascular, Neurosciences and Stroke programs, as well as the needs of clinic and inpatients. We work in six areas:
Biochemistry
The Biochemistry department measures specific chemical components of blood and body fluids in order to assess or monitor the function/dysfunction of patient organs such as the heart, kidney and liver. The laboratory uses sophisticated, state of the art equipment to perform an extensive menu of biochemical tests. These tests help the physician determine the patients’ diagnosis and the care team treat the patient’s disease. Biochemistry performs over 2,000,000 tests per year!
Flow Cytometry
Flow cytometry is the gold standard technique for the diagnosis and follow-up of many common and rare hematological (blood-related) diseases. It is also extremely useful and efficient in ruling out other blood-related diseases.
Flow cytometry is particularly important for:
- Diagnosis of acute leukemias.
- Staging of leukemias and lymphomas.
- An adjunct for assessing immunodeficiency, especially HIV.
Results from flow cytometric investigations are used by physicians to plan and monitor the treatment of their patients. Over 700 samples are received annually; the majority being collected in the Oncology Clinic.
Haematology
Haematology is the study of blood and blood-related diseases. The Haematology Department offers a comprehensive testing menu, routinely analyzing over 900 specimens a day. Testing is performed on various types of specimens including peripheral blood, bone marrow and body fluids.
Haematology also includes the study of hemostasis and thrombosis (bleeding and clotting). Routine and special coagulation testing evaluates bleeding and clotting disorders, and monitors anticoagulant therapy.
The Complete Blood Count (CBC) is the most common test performed in Haematology. The CBC measures and examines red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets as well as the white blood cell differential. It is used to help monitor or diagnose many disorders, such as anemia, leukemia and infection. We perform over 200,000 CBC’s each year.
Microbiology
The Microbiology department looks for bacteria that cause disease, and helps physicians determine which antibiotics will be most effective in fighting infections. We serve our patients and our clients with dedication, respect and enthusiasm with cost-efficient, clinically relevant work.
Annually, we test more than 130,000 specimens from patients, including urine, throat swabs, blood cultures, wound swabs, and stool samples. Some of the tests we do include:
- Food Poisoning & Diarrhoea
- Urine Tract Infections
- Wound Infections
- Strep Throat
- Blood Infections
Microbiology also tests bacteria to see if the antibiotic prescribed by physicians will be able to kill the bacteria causing an infection. If the antibiotic can’t kill the bacteria, then it is said to be “Resistant” and the antibiotic will need to be changed in order to fight the infection. Microbiology uses the latest automated technology to identify and test bacteria for resistance to antibiotics.
Some bacteria are resistant to many types of drugs (for example, Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus ureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci). The Microbiology Department has implemented the latest rapid chromogenic agar media to search quickly for these “superbugs” in our hospitalized patients.
Pathology
Pathology prepares and reviews tissue samples from biopsies, surgeries and autopsies to determine if the tissue is normal or abnormal. Abnormal tissues can indicate a disease process such as cancer or certain types of infections like Tuberculosis.
Slides are made from the specially prepared tissue. The slides are stained with a routine stain, as well as histochemical stains (the application of various chemicals and dyes to tissue components), and immunohistochemical stains (staining to identify tumour cell antibodies).
Sometimes, it is necessary for a surgeon to determine if the diseased tissue from a patient has been completely removed while the patient is still under anaesthetic. In these special cases, the tissue is sent to the Pathology lab, and a STAT slide is prepared from frozen tissue for microscopic examination. A preliminary diagnosis can then be determined by a Pathologist.
Cytology
The study of cells from various sites in the body is called Cytology. Cell samples are obtained either by Fine Needle Aspiration of lung, liver, thyroid and breast; washing and brushing from esophagus, lung, and bladder; or by the gentle scraping of tissue lining of an organ (cervical Pap smear).
In the Cytology Lab, cell sample slides are stained for microscopic examination, first by a Cytotechnologist, and finally for diagnosis by a Pathologist. The Cytology Lab is capable of detecting microscopic cancerous and pre-cancerous changes that occur at the cellular level, often before clinical symptoms occur; an example is the Pap smear.
The microscopic screening of Cytology specimens is often the initial diagnosis in many instances that guides the clinician in deciding if any further investigation is required, particularly a surgical operation or radiation/chemotherapy treatments. This is especially true in the diagnosis of cancer.
Transfusion Medicine
Every day, blood transfusions play a critical part in the treatment of our patients. Transfusion Medicine provides accurate, timely test results to ensure the safe provision of blood products and components obtained from Canadian Blood Services for our patients.
Pre-transfusion testing includes the determination of the blood group of the patient and the testing for presence of antibodies to ensure the compatibility of transfused products. Preparation of products is dependent on the patient’s blood type and resulting determination of compatibility.
Blood is comprised of several components that may be transfused separately or together to treat various conditions. A single whole blood donation can help treat four patients:
- Red Cells can be used to help accident victims, surgical patients and patients with anemia.
- Plasma is effective in treating patients suffering from burns or shock or treatment of bleeding disorders.
- Platelets can be used to treat leukemia and cancer patients and in the treatment of some bleeding disorders.
- Cryoprecipitate: is used to treat certain bleeding disorders
Annually, over 20,000 blood group determinations and over 18,000 compatibility tests are performed with more than 9,000 units of red cells transfused to patients at Trillium Health Centre.
Want to Help?
The need for blood products for transfusion is always great. For more information on blood products and donating blood, please visit Canadian Blood Services at www.blood.ca