CLSI Blog Articles

Read the latest articles about CLSI and laboratory standards in the official CLSI Blog. Browse our most recent blog articles below.

Practical Approach to Evaluating Requests to Test New Antimicrobials

Many new antimicrobials have recently come to market to address the rising threat of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Clinical and public health laboratories are critical participants in the management of patients with MDR infections and must develop a plan for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of these new agents, either in-house or at a reference laboratory.

Implementing a Quality Management System in the Laboratory

Implementing a quality management system in the laboratory can help ensure customer satisfaction, satisfy regulatory requirements, and create more efficient processes. A QMS provides a set of essential building blocks that help the lab fulfill predetermined quality objectives. A QMS manages the interacting processes and resources needed to provide value and realize results for laboratory customers and users.

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorder and Immunization

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Health care workers play an important role in educating parents about the importance of vaccination for their infants and older children. Unfortunately, patients with certain conditions are unable to receive some or all vaccinations, leaving them vulnerable to many communicable diseases, such as measles and whooping cough. Patients who are unable to receive vaccines for medical reasons rely on the rest of us to keep our vaccinations updated to protect us against diseases that we can pass on to the unvaccinated. This is called community or herd immunity.

The Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) – Bridging the Gap by Offering Expanded Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Infections caused by isolates of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae that are resistant to nearly all available antimicrobial agents are difficult to treat and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. In contrast to serine carbapenemase (eg, KPC)- producers, isolates of Enterobacteriaceae that produce metallo-β-lactamases (MBL) are the most challenging, as these are resistant to meropenem-vaborbactam and ceftazidime-avibactam, the newest beta-lactam combination agents. However, isolates of Enterobacteriaceae with MBLs (eg, NDM, VIM, and IMP) have been shown to be susceptible to a combination of ceftazidime + avibactam + aztreonam.

NBS03, Newborn Screening for Preterm, Low Birth Weight, and Sick Newborns, 2nd Edition

Each year millions of newborns are born prematurely, of low birth weight or with serious birth defects. The effects of these conditions, and the treatments these newborns receive greatly complicate the ability to obtain reliable and timely newborn screening results for the dozens of diseases screened.

AACC is Coming Up Soon!

The 71st AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will take place in Anaheim, California at the Anaheim Marriott from August 4th through the 8th. The 71st AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo “showcases the cutting edge science and technology shaping the future of laboratory medicine.” The conference will be hosting over 300 exciting scientific and educational sessions to keep you informed about advances in laboratory medicine technology.

New Laboratory Equipment Performance Qualification Document

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guideline QMS23—General Laboratory Equipment Performance Qualification, Use, and Maintenance provides recommendations for conducting the initial performance qualification as well as the ongoing verification and preventive maintenance of general laboratory equipment. This is essential to ensuring the achievement of accurate and reproducible examination results.

CLSI’s Training Partnership in Tanzania

CLSI’s Joanne Christopher sat down with her colleague, Emily Anderson, who is a program manager with CLSI’s Global Health Partnerships working with our partners in laboratories in Tanzania. She wanted to find out more about how CLSI works with laboratories in Tanzania to help them improve patient care and achieve their accreditation goals.

New Next-Generation In Vitro Diagnostic Instrument Interface Standard

CLSI’s Next-Generation In Vitro Diagnostic Instrument Interface—AUTO16 applies to the exchange of analytical testing data between in vitro diagnostic instruments and health care informatics systems. The document discusses connectivity challenges present in medical laboratories. AUTO16 leverages the work of the IVD Industry Connectivity Consortium and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) organizations through the use of the Laboratory Analytical Workflow (LAW) Profile.

National Safety Month and Laboratory Safety

Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road, and in homes and communities. The National Safety Council provides downloadable resources highlighting a different safety topic for each week in June. Topics for 2019 are Hazard Recognition, Slips, Trips and Falls, Fatigue, and Impairment. NSC remains focused on saving lives and preventing injuries, including raising public awareness of the opioid epidemic, helping to reduce motor vehicle crashes, and improving safety practices in workplaces across the country.