State-of-the-art lab gear installed in Sherbrooke

SHERBROOKE, Que. – Work has begun to upgrade the medical laboratories of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS with the commissioning of new biochemistry and hematology systems for the labs of the Fleurimont Hospital and the Hôtel-Dieu de Sherbrooke.

“The deployment of these new devices is the first step in a modernization plan for the establishment’s laboratories currently underway, as part of the provincial OPTILAB initiative. This approach will allow the laboratories to be at the cutting edge of technology, for the greater benefit of the population. These technological advances will also provide a highly stimulating environment, both for current clinical teams at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS and for future employees,” said Sylvie Martel, director of multidisciplinary services.

“The new biochemistry and hematology equipment installed will be more efficient and automated. This state-of-the-art technology will make it possible to carry out larger volumes of analysis and to process them more quickly, to meet the growing needs of the population, an aspect that is at the heart of this modernization process,” said Dr. Dubé, medical director of the OPTILAB project and head of the Department of Laboratory Medicine.

Biochemistry devices can perform nearly 200 types of analyzes used in the diagnosis and monitoring of several diseases and to monitor the health status of patients. Measuring glucose for diabetics and creatinine for kidney function are two examples of frequently performed tests. In hematology, the devices count blood cells, including red blood cells and white blood cells, which are important in the evaluation of anemia and infections or certain cancers.

The new biochemistry devices should be installed in all the other CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS sites by May 2023. The replacement of the hematology devices has been carried out gradually over the past two years and will be completed by here the end of summer. This project represents an investment of $4.5 million, financed from the savings made thanks to the new devices.

The provincial OPTILAB process was initiated in 2016 by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS). It aims to modernize medical biology laboratories in Quebec, to increase their efficiency and meet the growing needs of the population.