CINCINNATI and CHICAGO (AACC Annual Meeting) – July 24, 2006 – General Data Company, Inc., a leading provider of specialized labeling and identification products and solutions, today introduced the StainerShield Laser Imaging System (SSLIS), a complete automated printing system designed to provide permanent, indelible markings on tissue cassettes for histology, pathology and cytology laboratories. The SSLIS produces unparalleled high-quality text, in addition to high-resolution linear and two-dimensional bar code markings directly on to the surface of the cassette. Bar coding tissue cassettes has proven to reduce misidentification errors, improve workflow efficiencies, enable cassette tracking and auditing of specimens throughout the lab process, and enhance patient safety.
Traditional laboratory cassette identification methods have included handwriting on the cassette to a variety of labeling solutions that have not been able to meet laboratories’ needs for reliable, error-free, high-resolution bar code printing. | |  |
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These methods have resulted in a number of laboratory errors, including illegible handwriting, incorrect labeling, transposed numbers and loss of critical data. If one or more of these problems occur, lab technicians can be forced to repeat lab procedures or re-draw samples, or patient ailments could be misdiagnosed.
“Tissue cassettes are notoriously difficult to label given the small printing space and the variety of extreme conditions the cassettes are exposed to in the lab,” said Peter Wenzel, president and chief executive officer of General Data. “The StainerShield Laser Imaging System is part of a complete ‘closed-loop’ tissue and specimen identification system that enables labs to improve workflow processes and track specimens using bar codes from grossing to staining, checkout, review and archiving. By using our technology, laboratories can eliminate manual labeling practices and can take data streams directly from their laboratory information system to print durable text and bar codes on tissue cassettes.”
At the grossing station, laboratories can encode accession numbers along with relevant patient, case, specimen and lab information in a two-dimensional bar code that is permanently laser-imaged onto a specimen cassette. Technicians then scan the cassette’s bar code using handheld scanners at any lab station to positively identify the cassette. They then use the data to generate on-demand slide identification labels with bar codes as the specimen slides are produced.
The SSLIS uses a focused low power CO2 laser to mark specially coated cassettes. The patented polymer coating on the cassette allows for well-defined, high contrast, easily scanned linear and two-dimensional bar codes, including DataMatrix. The markings can survive extended exposure to extreme temperatures and the chemicals, solvents and stains used for tissue processing.
The laser-marked coating technology used by the SSLIS is significantly more reliable than systems using various inkjet printing technologies. As inkjet nozzles tend to clog, printed bar codes lose clarity and edge definition, rendering them difficult or unable to scan. Laser marking delivers clean, high definition bar codes that deliver successful scans, even after extended use.
“The technology we incorporated into our StainerShield Laser Imaging System has been time-tested for more than 20 years in the steel and automotive industries,” stated Jim Bacho, director of sales for General Data. “It is a superior solution when compared with other cassette marking technologies because it does not use inkjet or impact printing to mark the cassette. Each cassette can be a portable mini-database, storing critical information in a tiny, yet durable 2D bar code that is readable and scannable from start to finish. Our solution allows labs to incorporate lean workflow principles, save time by improving workflow, and eliminate errors from lost specimens or a misdiagnosis of a patient ailment.”
The StainerShield Laser Imaging System is ideal for laboratories that process high volumes of tissue cassettes. It is equipped with 12 external cassette magazines holding up to 75 cassettes each. The SSLIS is designed to integrate with many laboratory information systems, and can also be connected to a single-user or multi-user PC workstation.
“The StainerShield Laser Imager is an integral part of our complete laboratory identification and tracking system, which is the most comprehensive solution on the market. Our system allows labs to take full advantage of bar code technology for workflow efficiencies and error reduction,” concluded Wenzel.
General Data is introducing the StainerShield Laser Imaging System at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Chemical Chemistry (AACC) July 23-27 in Chicago Illinois. For more information, visit the company’s AACC booth (#1963) or call General Data at 800-733-5252, ext 2700.
For more information on StainerShield specimen identification and error-proofing solutions, visit www.stainershield.com or call 800-733-5252 ext. 2700.
About General Data Company
General Data Company is a leading provider of specialized labeling and identification products and solutions. The company’s patent-pending healthcare and laboratory identification technologies are designed to improve patient safety and care, reduce medical errors, facilitate patient administration and provide consumers with peace of mind and confidence in their health care providers. General Data is recognized as the premiere provider of integrated bar code identification and data collection products and solutions that enable businesses in a variety of industries to become more efficient and make better decisions. Founded in 1981, General Data is a privately held company with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. More information on General Data products and solutions can be found at http://www.general-data.com. # # # |
