906-341-3200 State Of The Art Lab Testing Now Offered at SMH
February 5, 2016
On February 1, 2016, Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital Laboratory became the first hospital in the Upper Peninsula to offer state-of-the-art multiplex molecular, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing. PCR testing examines multiple organisms on a single sample for upper respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, meningitis and encephalitis infections.
The upper respiratory test panel screens for 20 different organisms that can cause disease, 17 viruses and 3 bacteria. The Gastrointestinal test panel screens for 22 different organisms, 13 bacteria, 5 viruses, and 3 parasites. The meningitis/encephalitis test panel screens for 17 organisms, 8 bacteria, 8 viruses, and 1 yeast.
The results are available in approximately one hour compared to the traditional organism testing where results may take days or weeks. These rapid organism panels offer a significant improvement in the prompt diagnosis of potentially serious infections.
