Laboratory Medicine
Mediheal Group of Hospitals offers laboratory services for both outpatients and inpatients. Also those who wish to avail only laboratory services which are prescribed by another doctor outside of the group can also undergo these tests.
Health checkup for various age groups and special packages for men, women and elderly are also offered. The laboratory services are available round-the-clock for surgical and medical emergency services. Special packages are also offered for international patients.
A team of pathologists, microbiologists, biochemists and clinical pathologists work together following all standard protocols for conducting tests.
Infection control practices as prescribed by the World Health Organisation and Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA are meticulously followed. These practices are continuously monitored so that patients are offered the best practices in prevention and transmission of diseases.
The services offered under laboratory medicine are:
Pathology
The department of Pathology in Mediheal engages in diagnostic work that caters to the Mediheal group of hospitals and private Hospitals from adjacent localities. The Department offers comprehensive services in Histopathology, Cytology, Clinical pathology, Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence, 24 hours services in Hematology and blood bank.
Hematology
This branch of Lab Medicine at Mediheal deals with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the production of blood and its components, such as blood cells, haemoglobin, blood proteins, bone marrow, platelets, blood vessels, spleen, and the mechanism of coagulation. Such diseases might include haemophilia, blood clots, other bleeding disorders and blood cancers such as leukaemia, myeloma, and lymphoma.
Serology
This branch of Lab Medicine in Mediheal deals with the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum. Such antibodies are typically formed:
- in response to an infection (against a given microorganism)
- against other foreign proteins (in response, for example, to a mismatched blood transfusion), or
- to one’s own proteins (in instances of autoimmune disease).
Serological tests may be performed for diagnostic purposes when an infection is suspected, in rheumatic illnesses, and in many other situations, such as checking a patient’s blood type.
Serology blood tests help to diagnose patients with certain immune deficiencies associated with the lack of antibodies, such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia.
Mediheal has adopted several serology techniques depending on the antibodies being studied. These include: ELISA, agglutination, precipitation, complement-fixation, and fluorescent antibodies.
Microbiology
The Microbiology section at Mediheal is well equipped with facilities for automated blood culture and bacterial and fungal identifications. This section offers a large panel of serological tests using ELISA and VIDAS. The molecular pathology laboratory is well equipped with thermal cyclers- both conventional, real time and flow cytometer.
Immunology
This branch of Lab Medicine at Mediheal is dedicated to the study of the immune system. It charts, measures, and contextualizes the:
- physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases
- malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders such as autoimmune diseases, hypersensitivities, immune deficiency, and transplant rejection;
- the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the immune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo.
The results from this section is typically helpful in the areas of organ transplantation has applications in numerous disciplines of medicine, particularly in the areas of organ transplantation, oncology, psychiatry, and dermatology.
Cytology
This branch of Lab Medicine at Mediheal is dedicated to the study of cells in terms of structure, function and chemistry. Mediheal specializes in Cytopathology – the study of cellular disease and the use of cellular changes for the diagnosis of disease.
Histopathology
This branch of Lab Medicine in Mediheal focusses on the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Specifically, in clinical medicine, histopathology refers to the examination of a biopsy or surgical specimen by a pathologist, after the specimen has been processed and histological sections have been placed onto glass slides. The results from this branch are specifically used in Cancer detection and treatment.
Biochemistry
Mediheal’s Biochemistry section has a state of art, fully automated integrated clinical chemistry and immunoassay analysers, HPLC, Capillary electrophoresis systems which is able to provide 24/7 services and performs more than 2.5 lakh tests per month. These tests mainly comprise of Chemistry, Immunoassays, Toxicology, testing for Haemoglobin disorders and a large number of medical drug levels.
Cytogenetics
This branch of Lab Medicine at Mediheal focusses on changes that affect the number and/or structure of the chromosomes that can cause problems with growth, development, and how the body functions. Chromosomal abnormalities can happen when egg and sperm cells are being made, during early foetal development, or after birth in any cell in the body.
Cytogenetic analyses are commonly performed during pregnancy to determine if a foetus is at risk for:
- Common aneuplodies (syndromes caused by having extra or missing chromosomes)
- Syndromes caused by structural abnormalities (like unbalanced translocations or inversions)
- To determine if extra or missing genetic material is present through cytogenetic microarray testing.
The same cytogenetic analyses can be performed on a newborn or child with multiple anomalies or developmental delays to look for a potential chromosomal abnormality. With the information provided by cytogenetic analyses, more accurate diagnoses can be made, allowing for proper treatment of the child. Information gained through cytogenetic testing is also valuable during reproductive discussions.
