Diagnostic analyzers and quality control methods
AssigneeSiemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.
InventorMuhammad Ahmed
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A quality control method for a diagnostic analyzer includes performing a quality control test or a plurality of specimen tests; determining, with a controller, that a result of the quality control test or a plurality of specimen test results is outside of a threshold; monitoring one or more mechanical devices of the diagnostic analyzer with the controller; receiving, by the controller, an error code indicating an error in a mechanical device of the one or more mechanical devices; and initiating a calibration procedure in response to the result of the quality control test or the plurality of specimen test results being outside of the threshold and receiving the error code. Other apparatus and methods are disclosed.
Claims22
A quality control method for a diagnostic analyzer, comprising:
- performing a quality control test;
- determining, with a controller, that a quality control test result is outside of a threshold;
- monitoring one or more mechanical devices of the diagnostic analyzer with the controller;
- receiving, by the controller, an error code indicating an error in a mechanical device of the one or more mechanical devices in response to the monitoring;
- and
- initiating a calibration procedure in response to both the quality control test result outside of the threshold and the receiving the error code, wherein the quality control test result alone is insufficient to initiate the calibration procedure.
A diagnostic analyzer, comprising:
- a controller configured to:
- perform a quality control test;
- determine that a quality control test result is outside of a threshold;
- monitor one or more mechanical devices of the diagnostic analyzer;
- receive an error code indicating an error in a mechanical device of the one or more mechanical devices in response to the one or more mechanical devices being monitored;
- and
- initiate a calibration procedure in response to both the quality control test result outside of the threshold and receiving the error code, wherein the quality control test result alone is insufficient to initiate the calibration procedure.
A method of operating a diagnostic analyzer, comprising:
- performing quality control tests with the diagnostic analyzer, wherein a quality control test analyzes a quality control sample and has an expected result;
- determining, with a controller, that a variance in the quality control tests is outside of a threshold;
- monitoring one or more mechanical devices of the diagnostic analyzer with the controller;
- receiving, by the controller, an error code indicating an error in a mechanical device of the one or more mechanical devices in response to monitoring of the one or more mechanical devices;
- and
- initiating a calibration procedure by the controller in response to the variance in the quality control tests being outside of the threshold and receiving the error code, wherein the variance in the quality control tests alone is insufficient to initiate the calibration procedure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.