The release also expands the overall UniCel brand, which debuted in 2003 and now includes the UniCel DxI 800 Access Immunoassay System (launched in 2003), the UniCel DxC 600 and DxC 800 SYNCHRON Clinical Systems (both introduced in 2005) and the integrated UniCel DxC 600i SYNCHRON Access Clinical System (introduced in 2006).
Like each member of the UniCel family, the DxI 600 immunoassay system offers a unique feature set and fills a market niche all its own.
A Full-Featured System for Mid-Volume Labs
Offering peak throughput of up to 200 tests per hour, the DxI 600 is an ideal solution for mid-volume labs supporting 200- to 400-bed hospitals or facilities performing between 40,000 and 100,000 immunoassay tests per year—criteria that represent more than 45 percent of the market.
Essentially, this smaller-footprint system fills the gap between Beckman Coulter’s low- and high-volume immunoassay solutions (the Access 2 and UniCel DxI 800, respectively) and gives clinical laboratories greater flexibility in their workstation choices.
Building on the proven technology of the DxI 800, the DxI 600 helps labs consolidate workstations and increase their testing menu to include such high-quality assays as AccuTnI™ Troponin I. Plus, it delivers more labor-saving features than competitive systems in its class, which helps mid-volume labs optimize their labor resources and prosper, despite the ongoing shortage of technologists. Consider the following.
Hands-Free Features Increase Efficiency
With on-board aliquotting—and refrigerated storage of the aliquotted samples—the DxI 600 stores enough of the sample to perform reflex tests or reruns.
"The DxI 600 is the only mid-volume instrument available today storing an aliquot on board and that doesn’t require the primary tube to be present in order to do reflex testing or reruns," explains Doug Creelman, Beckman Coulter product manager for strategic marketing. "This is a huge advantage over competitive systems and gives smaller, non-automated labs some of the benefits of automation without having to invest in a robotic system."
The fact that the DxI 600 uses a sample rack common to all UniCel systems is another advantage. This enables labs to spin sample tubes down in centrifugable racks, which can then be placed directly on each instrument for faster loading, less sample sorting and splitting, and increased pre-analytical efficiency.
With the DxI 600, labs can also load up to 60 samples at a time and add new sample tubes, reagents and supplies on the fly—without operator intervention at the computer console. This helps decrease technologist involvement and improves overall efficiency. Plus, it releases primary tubes in less than five minutes and disposes of empty reagent packs automatically.
Multi-Platform Reagent Compatibility
For networks seeking to simplify inventory management and streamline result consistency, the DxI 600 definitely fits the bill. That’s because the DxI 600 accommodates the same reagents and calibrators used on the UniCel DxI 800 and Access 2 systems.
"Having standardized reagent packs across the entire DxI and Access family is a very significant feature,” says Creelman. "It gives labs the comfort of knowing they’re getting proven test results—no matter which platform they’re running the patient sample on‹while also simplifying reagent ordering and storage."
Another plus for the DxI 600 reagent packs is their size. Since each reagent comes in a 50-test pack, it enables mid-volume labs to recapture some lower-volume assays they used to send out.
For example, if a lab purchases a 100- or 200-test reagent pack from a competitor, but only runs 15 samples per month, it wastes a good deal of reagent—making it hard to justify keeping that test in-house.
However, the 50-test reagent packs can reduce that reagent waste, allowing labs to rethink their outsourcing strategy and consider bringing some of those lower-volume assays back in-house. This effort not only reduces outsourcing expenses, it increases revenue and boosts the lab’s bottom line.
Carrying on the UniCel Name
Considering the DxI 600’s robust features, flexibility and ease of use, it’s no surprise to learn of its heritage within the UniCel brand.
"The UniCel family of multi-platform systems was designed to be cross-functional, which means the brand is not just intended for chemistry or immunoassay—but also for hematology and, eventually, automation and future components as well," explains Creelman.
One example would be the UniCel Closed Tube Aliquotter (CTA)*, which will be released as part of the UniCel DxC 880i* later this year‹essentially bringing the DxI and DxC platforms together, while also protecting lab staff from infectious diseases with closed tube aliquotting.
"The UniCel family is all about options,” he adds. “It offers labs all the building blocks they need to streamline their current testing process, while also providing the flexibility to mix and match the workstations so they can consolidate testing, maximize their workloads and optimize their labor resources."
The UniCel systems are built on Beckman Coulter’s market-leading Access and Synchron technologies and offer a broad test menu, accurate results and exceptional reliability. Each system is designed to help clinical laboratories consolidate workstations, optimize workload and labor resources and reduce costs. The UniCel line also improves productivity by enabling healthcare networks to standardize inventory and lab testing methods across multiple locations to increase consistency of results reporting.
According to Creelman, “Anytime you see the UniCel name, you can trust the history and foundation on which that system has been built—a common software interface, proven technology and a company that stands behind each and every system".
*The UniCel Closed Tube Aliquotter (CTA) and UniCel DxC 880i products are in development.
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