Department of Laboratory Medicine

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MUDr. Katarína Daňová Ľudmila Gašparovičová RNDr. Jana Lučeničová

MUDr. Katarína Daňová, Consultant of the Department of Laboratory Medicine
Ľudmila Gašparovičová, Head nurse of the Clinical Biochemistry Unit
RNDr. Jana Lučeničová, Head nurser of the Hematology ang Transfusion Unit

Clinical Biochemistry Unit performs basic and special biochemical, immunological and serological assays. These can be used effectively for diagnosis, triaging, treating and monitoring patients in our Institute. As a unique diagnostic laboratory centre it is able to offer assays of the most specific and sensitive cardiac markers, well-suited to fulfill the needs of diagnosing, risk stratification and management of acute coronary syndromes. Our aim is to improve therapy and reduce cost. Clinical Biochemistry Unit is also specialized in the monitoring of immunossuppresive drug levels in patients after heart transplantation.

The biochemical laboratory of the Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular diseases is well equipped with modern technical instruments - biochemical and immunological automatic analyzers, electrolyte and blood gas analyzers, there is a separate stat laboratory and a separate laboratory in the operating theatre. The highly educated staff consists of two medical doctors (specialists), two chemists, and sixteen laboratory assistants.

The headquarters of postgraduate education in clinical biochemistry - The Chair of Clinical Biochemistry of Slovak Medical University is located in this department. Besides these activities workers of the Clinical Biochemistry Unit take part in scientific projects of the Institute and publishing their own results, concerning the follow-up of metabolic changes in patients with cardiomyopathies and in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.

Hematology and Transfusion Unit

The HTU was created in April, 1997 as a reaction to the acute requirements of blood and blood products for cardiac and vascular surgery. The department is running according to the conception of hematology and is divided into 2 units - clinical and laboratory.

The Clinical unit consists of an outpatient clinic for hematology, where outpatients and hospitalized patients are managed. Clinical consultations allow purposeful indications of laboratory assays and appropriate healthcare for patients with many concomitant or blood diseases, who require anticoagulant therapy.

The Laboratory unit is equipped with 4 labs: morphologic, immunohematologic, haemostatic, and one for specific assays. The average number of assays is more than 215,000 a year. The majority of these assessments are haemostatic tests (40%) that reflect the spectrum of patients managed in NICVD. Tests are performed with fully automatic machines.

The Morphologic lab performs 22% of all laboratory assays. It is well equipped with fully automatic blood analyzers. During emergency duties the analyzers are completely maintained and managed by two assistants.

Immunohematologic assays are realized on semi-automatic equipment and are used for blood typing and testing of blood compatibility. Devices for bar agglutination assays are also available. The ratio of the above mentioned tests is 38%.

The number of laboratory assays for the diagnosis of congenital and hereditary disorders of hemostasis is permanently expanding. This is the focus of the hemostasis lab.

The Blood bank fulfills all demands for hemotherapy. The average annual consumption of transfusion drugs is around 3,200 units. No serious post-transfusion complications have been recorded. The medical staff consists of 18 employees (13 laboratory assistants, 2 full-time physicians (1 hematologist, 1 internist), 1 part-time physician - hematologist, 1 university educated person and 1 ambulance-man.