By Caryl Parks, MT (ASCP), Microbiology Manager, Meridian Laboratory

Meridian Laboratory is an independent laboratory that specializes in End Stage Renal Disease patients. We provide testing for independent dialysis clinics and our testing volume was approximately 50,000 per month last year.

Before using the VersaTREK® Automated Microbial Detection System, we sent microbiology samples to a national reference lab. We supplied Bactec bottles to those clients who requested supplies from us. Until recently (January 2006) most of the clinics did not send us their blood cultures because of turn around time. Since we starting using the VersaTREK System in January 2006, we have about seven clinics that are sending their blood cultures to us and we are averaging approximately 20 sets a week from those seven clinics.

We had five primary reasons for choosing the VersaTREK System for our automated culturing needs:

1. We liked the fact that as our business grows we can double our volume of bottles incubating in the VersaTREK System without having to buy a new instrument. We have four drawers operating now and can add another four to this same instrument!


2. The VersaTREK System is FDA approved for a small (0.1 ml) minimum volume of sample required to inoculate the bottles. Our patients tend to be chronically anemic due to the 3x weekly dialysis, and the disease itself. Meridian Laboratory Corporation takes pride in requiring less blood per test than our competitors, so we liked being able to offer this with blood cultures as well. We ask the clinics to draw at least 0.5 ml per bottle so we can recover Haemophilus.


3. Resin bottles are not required for patients on antibiotics.


4. The EZ® Draw Direct Draw Bottles are helpful to the nurses in that they do not have to deal with syringe draws and they can draw blood cultures while they are drawing pre-dialysis samples.


5. We can culture peritoneal body fluids in the same bottles that are used for blood cultures, thus reducing container storage and confusion at the clinics with container types.

The training program from TREK went very smoothly. Robin Sikut, our trainer, was very thorough and systematic about the training which made the information flow nicely. She was very competent, knew her microbiology (drugs and bugs), and could readily answer any questions we had. It was approximately one month after training that we began to place samples on the VersaTREK instrument. Robin left a simplified flow chart that came in very handy.

We feel confident in our recovery of organisms thus far which include; Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative Staph, Peptostreptococcus, and Corynebacterium, since Staph is the primary isolate in blood cultures of End Stage Renal Disease patients.

We are pleased with our decision to move forward with the VersaTREK System. TREK as a company has been very pleasant and easy to work with. The instrument is simple and efficient. In addition, the cost per vial is lower than TREK’s competitors and since our patients are on Medicare, that also helps our bottom line as Medicare reimbursement for blood cultures normally barely covers the cost of the supplies.