QuidelOrtho Science BYTES Podcast

It is estimated that between 8 and 10% of the global adult population has some form of kidney damage.  Early detection of kidney damage is critical.  If left undetected, chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure which means regular dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant is necessary for survival.

In this podcast episode, we will discuss who is at risk for chronic kidney disease, screening strategies, and ways to classify the level of impairment.  In addition, we’ll discuss a unifying approach for estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the United States with the recommendations published by a task force established by the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology.

Heart Failure (HF) is a common disease that affects an estimated global population of over 40 million. It is the most frequent cause of hospitalizations in patients over the age of 65, placing a considerable financial and social burden on patients, healthcare providers, and care providers. Accurate clinical assessment of HF and cost-effective management strategies are critical in improving patient outcomes and reducing the socioeconomic burden of this disease.

In this podcast episode, we will have a conversation between Dr. Christopher deFilippi, a cardiologist at the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, and Dr. Ivan Salgo to learn more about heart failure, how it is diagnosed, and the value of using the in-vitro diagnostic test NT-proBNP.

About our Speaker:

Dr. Christopher deFilippi is a distinguished cardiologist who currently works at the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI) in Fairfax, Virginia as the Vice-Chair of Academic Affairs.

In his oversight of clinical research, he has built IHVI to be a national leader in site-based research. He serves on the Editorial boards of Circulation, JACC, and JACC: Heart Failure. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine. His research is focused on evaluating in-vitro diagnostics and proteomics discovery for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy guidance across the spectrum of health from detection of preclinical cardiovascular disease to diagnosis and treatment in the critically ill.

The need for a sufficient supply of safe blood is constant and globally there is an ongoing need for effective blood programs as they are critical to support patient management. The role of the donor/donation screening lab is fundamental to the protection and maintenance of the donor inventory and supply since it performs the screening of donors prior to collection of a donation to determine if the donor is ‘suitable’ to be able to donate on that occasion with the end goal of providing safe blood products for transfusion. 

Any donation screening laboratory would want to provide the most consistent, accurate, and reliable results possible.

About our Speaker: 

Donor and product safety has improved significantly over the last decade as a consequence of the introduction of measures such as evidence-based blood donor selection criteria. In parallel, the implementation of quality assurance programs based on good manufacturing practices has also played a key role in improving the safety and quality of blood and blood components.

The main objective of a quality program within the blood bank and transfusion service is to minimize risk to safety and quality by ensuring that the lab’s processes will reliably deliver safe blood and blood components. In many countries, implementation of a quality certificate program has become a regulatory or government requirement; however, an effective program not only forms the basis for safety but can also deliver benefits to the Blood Service beyond meeting compliance.

Learn in this episode from AABB consulting services how commitment to safety and quality is available with the new AABB Quality Certificate Program – Based on AABB’s Fundamental Standards for Blood Collection and Transfusion, the Certificate is an internationally recognized distinction, acknowledging your facility’s commitment to a culture of quality and excellence. 

Diabetes is a global health threat diabetes with the number of people living with diabetes continuing to rise. Diagnostic testing is one of the major tools to help prevent and manage the disease.  In this podcast episode, we will have a conversation with Dr. Ivan Salgo, Head of Medical, Clinical, and Scientific Affairs at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics about the role laboratory testing plays in the prevention and management of diabetes.

About our Speaker:

Dr. Ivan Salgo is the VP of Medical, Clinical, and Scientific Affairs at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, where he leads teams focused on multiple care areas such as infectious disease, acute care, cardiology, and endocrinology.  Dr. Salgo received his M.D. degree with Distinction in Research from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He did his residency and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology where he later joined the faculty.  Dr. Salgo’s past research includes the use of Healthcare Analytics to assess patient deterioration using multiple digital biomarkers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been already in our lives since late 2019 and the variants surge is rapidly increasing. Is there anything we can learn from the experience? Fast forward to the fall of 2021, what are the recommendations for Hospitals and Laboratories around the world for the current pandemic and future spread of diseases? In this podcast episode, we will have a conversation with Dr. Arturo Casadevall an infectious disease specialist and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University about learnings from this pandemic, vaccines, variants, and how antibody testing can play a key role.

About our Speaker:

Dr. Arturo Casadevall is a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He holds a joint appointment in molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research focuses on how microbes cause disease and how the immune system defends itself. Dr. Casadevall serves as chair of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He received his M.S., Ph.D., and M.D. from New York University. His team is currently engaged in understanding how hosts defend against the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Dr. Casadevall’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the American Society for Microbiology Founders Distinguished Service Award, the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, and the Rhoda Benham Award from the Medical Mycology Society of America.  He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Description:

After the success of our April episode, “Your Lab Journey With the Rh System and Weak D,” we continue the topic. Tune in for a conversation about partial D, the differences, types, and implications it has on transfusion.    

Sue Johnson serves as director of Versiti’s Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) program. Her experience includes: Director and Adjunct Associate Professor at Marquette University Graduate School, Transfusion Medicine Program. Clinical Associate Professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, College of Health Sciences. Associate Director of Indian Immunohematology Initiative. Sue has authored numerous publications in the field of transfusion medicine and immunohematology and is an established lecturer on the topic of immunohematology. She currently chairs the AABB publications committee. Sue has taken an active role in the education of medical laboratory science students for more than 20 years and her knowledge in the Rh blood group system is globally renown.

Process Excellence is a proven way to cut costs, raise productivity, and improve service levels. PEx® combines the tools and methodologies of:     

• Six Sigma—measuring and reducing your error and defect rate

This podcast will provide the tools to understand the benefit of Process Excellence in your Lab to achieve goals regarding efficiency and performance.

About our Speaker:

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets, or plasma, this lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation.  1 blood donation can potentially save 3 lives and now the conversation is towards convalescent plasma donations as a promising therapy for COVID-19, the journey to support during critical times starts with the donor qualification. 

In this episode, Dr. Pampee Young will provide background on the needs and challenges of blood banks and donor centers for blood and plasma supply and practices sharing plans to overcome them.

About our Speaker: