Customer Focus

BERGMANNSHEIL
BOCHUM
Customer Focus
BG-University Hospital Bergmannsheil
Bochum, Germany
GERMAN HOSPITAL RECEIVES SEBIA’S
1000th MINICAP INSTRUMENT
“For us, the MINICAP was the perfect choice.”
BG-University Hospital Bergmannsheil in Bochum, Germany, has an
operating philosophy of “Healing and help with all appropriate means."
Accordingly, the hospital’s clinical laboratory has taken “all appropriate
means” to soothe the pain points typically felt by labs: namely, how to
control labor costs and maintain test quality as the workload continues to
increase. The lab, one of the most advanced in Germany, has the ability to
run 170 different blood tests quickly and efficiently – with minimal handling
by staff.
Bergmannsheil adopted automated capillary electrophoresis (CE) in
2001 as an alternative to the very labor-intensive cellulose acetate method.
At that time, the lab employed 29 technologists; the headcount now stands at 21, yet the lab’s test menu has broadened
significantly in recent years.
“Controlling labor costs is one of the key challenges for German labs,” notes
Hugo Stiegler, MD, Medical Director of the Department of Clinical Chemistry,
Immunology and Hematology at Bergmannsheil.
Recently, Dr. Stiegler implemented the latest evolution in CE technology: the
MINICAP instrument from Sebia. The MINICAP offers a compact, robust, fully
automated platform that’s simple to operate and affordable for laboratories
running small-to medium-sized test batches. “We typically average about 20-30
electrophoresis screenings a day, doing as many as 40-50 on heavier days,” Dr.
Stiegler explains.
Bergmannsheil’s installation is the 1000th MINICAP to go live worldwide. The
instrument is gaining popularity in many countries because it makes the latest CE
automation available to labs that previously lacked the volumes to justify more expensive “hands-free” systems.
MINICAP: fully automated capillary electrophoresis
“The MINICAP is not only very
fast and reliable but also
somewhat more convenient
and intuitive.”
According to Dr. Stiegler, the MINICAP brought some important
improvements to the lab. “The MINICAP is not only very fast and
reliable but also somewhat more convenient and intuitive. Even a
person who is not 100 percent familiar with this instrument can
confidently run it.”
Dr. Stiegler also likes the fact that the MINICAP
quantifies the monoclonal bands, something not easily
done on his previous system. “This allows us to monitor
the percentage decrease of the bands, giving us a
clearer picture of how the patient is progressing under
therapy.”
“Sebia has given us exactly
what we need, at a price point
that makes sense for a lab this
size. It is the ideal solution.”
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Customer Focus
How the MINICAP works
The MINICAP utilizes liquid flow electrophoresis with buffer serving as the medium in
lieu of agarose gel. The technologist simply places a bar-coded sample tube on the
system -- and walks away. The MINICAP yields a throughput of up to 20 serum protein
samples per hour; STAT protein electrophoresis results can be obtained in less than
10 minutes.
Other unique features of the MINICAP allow Bergmannsheil to:
• Store up to 100,000 CE result curves and data;
• Simplify operator editing, thanks to automatic identification of fractions;
• Import quantitative protein results into one comprehensive
chartable report;
• Add unlimited comments;
• Access comprehensive quality control tools including
Levey-Jennings charts; and
“…Sebia consistently
demonstrates their
appreciation for our business.”
• Network to other lab systems via modem connection.
• It also provides for other testing such as urine Proteins, Immunotyping, Carbohydrate-deficient Transferrin (CDT)
and Hemoglobinopathies.
“This allows us to monitor the
percentage decrease of the bands,
giving us a clearer picture of how the
patient is progressing under therapy.”
“Sebia values us.”
Sebia’s commitment to delivering top-notch quality
and service made an impression on Dr. Stiegler.
“Even though we are a low-volume lab compared to
a lot of their clients, Sebia consistently demonstrates
their appreciation for our business.”
Sebia: Solving the challenges
“Like other labs, we are constantly challenged to strike that balance between speed and cost -- without any compromise of
quality,” says Dr. Stiegler. “Sebia has given us exactly what we need, at a price point that makes sense for a lab this size. It is
the ideal solution.”
ABOUT BG-UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL BERGMANNSHEIL
Founded in 1890, as the first trauma center in the world built specifically to treat coal miners, BG-University Hospital
Bergmannsheil today has 622 beds and 22 clinics and departments, serving 18,000 inpatients and 60,000 outpatients
annually. As the academic hospital of Ruhr-University Bochum, the facility is renowned for science and research, and has a
particularly strong reputation for treating spinal cord injuries and severe traumatic brain injuries and for surgical trauma
medicine and plastic surgery.
ABOUT SEBIA
Founded in 1967, Sebia is a French based company head-quartered in Evry-Paris, France. The company develops, manufactures
and commercializes protein electrophoresis tests and analyzers, dedicated to the in vitro diagnosis of cancer, inflammatory,
metabolism and hemoglobin disorders. With a sales turnover of over 100M€, the
company employs 400 persons. The products are sold worldwide, directly in 12
countries and through a complementary network of distributors. Sebia’s focus on
electrophoresis techniques allows a sustained R&D development program,
providing innovation and automation to virtually any size laboratory. Both agarose
gel electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis assays, and their dedicated
automation, are designed to be integrated into the same routine workflow. The two
Sebia Corporate, Evry, France
families of instruments, for gel (ASSIST and HYDRASYS 2 SCAN ) and for capillary
electrophoresis (MINICAP, CAPILLARYS 2 - Flex Piercing and Neonat Fast models), are designed to work into the same lab
network via the PHORESIS SQL based software, offering unlimited patients’ data storage.