The Pledia Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) system has now gone live in Microbiology. The new analyser can process 320 samples in an hour and 200 samples can be loaded at one time.
The benefits of the new system include:
- rapid and reliable detection of occult haemaglobin in stools
- full automation and objective test results
- increased laboratory productivity
- increased performance capability.
SWLP introduced the FIT test in 2018. The test is a screen for bowel cancer and uses antibodies that specifically recognise human haemoglobin (Hb). This means that a FIT result is not influenced by the presence of other blood in stools, such as that ingested through diet.
A positive FIT result suggests that there may be bleeding within the gastrointestinal tract that requires further investigation.
