Lakeview Regional using DNA testing in the ER

Lakeview Hospital is the first Hospital on the Northshore using the latest in cutting edge technology to bring DNA testing to the emergency department. The new technology is called “BioFire” for short and it is able to identify bacteria and viruses much faster than conventional methods. The new BioFire Film Array system, which utilizes PCR technology, provides sensitive and specific viral and bacterial pathogen identification within 90 minutes. This advanced testing is improving patient care by providing faster and more accurate data to Lakeview Regional physicians for improved diagnoses and faster treatment. The comprehensive BioFire testing panels, along with the physician’s diagnostic skills, provide a high probability of rapidly identifying infectious pathogens.

“The identification of infectious pathogens enables our physicians to more quickly identify the appropriate therapy for the patient,” said Dr. Pamela Bartholomew, Lakeview Regional’s laboratory medical director. “The BioFire FilmArray System provides sensitive and specific data on numerous blood, respiratory, gastrointestinal and spinal fluid pathogens.”

"The identification of infectious pathogens enables our physicians to more quickly identify the appropriate therapy for the patient."
 - Dr. Pamela Bartholomew

Currently, for each hour that a patient goes untreated, the average mortality rate increases, making timely diagnoses and administration of appropriate therapy imperative for positive patient outcomes. The BioFire FilmArray panels were designed to help identify bloodstream, respiratory, spinal fluid and gastrointestinal infection-causing organisms more rapidly than the conventional identification methods. This rapid identification of pathogens is quickly proving itself to reduce mortality rates, assist in antibiotic stewardship, and shorten the patient’s incidence of clinical illness.