By by Lynn Todd, Laboratory Manager, Campbell County Memorial Hospital and DeAna Paustian, Senior Marketing Specialist, TREK Diagnostic Systems

In 1953, the medical needs in the community of Gillette, Wyoming were served by only four physicians and one visiting surgeon in a small 31-bed red brick hospital. As the community grew, so did the healthcare system. In 1981, Campbell Community Hospital opened. This 90-bed hospital system has continued to expand, with a new parking structure being erected, as well as new patient floors.

According to the Campbell County Community Hospital website, “As the community grows and changes, Campbell County Memorial Hospital will continue to develop programs and services to meet the healthcare needs of our citizens.”

The lab at Campbell County employs 26 staff members with 5 specifically trained in microbiology. The lab performs 780,000 chemistry tests and approximately 2,500 blood culture sets annually. Prior to the installation of the VersaTREK, the site had two BACTEC™ 9050s.

According to Lynn Todd, “We feel VersaTREK is better at recovering organisms and recovers more organisms because of the instrument’s detection technology.”

T: What made you decide to choose VersaTREK for your blood culture and mycobacteria needs?
CCMH: We feel VersaTREK is better at recovering organisms and recovers more organisms because of the instrument’s detection technology. It is not limited to CO₂ production, like its competitors. For our laboratory, the VersaTREK is less expensive and we can expand our testing with the existing footprint, which is a desirable feature.

T: What was your impression of the conversion process from your previous system to VersaTREK?
CCMH: It had been a while since we performed validation studies, so that took some time to get used to. However, the conversion process itself was good.

T: What were your impressions of the on-site training?
CCMH: The on-site training was very good. The trainers were knowledgeable and responsive to questions, making time to train many staff on a one to one basis to fit in with our schedule.

T: What are your impressions of TREK’s customer service?
CCMH: Customer service is very good. The whole TREK team, including sales, has been a pleasure to work with.

T: What do you and your lab like about the system?
CCMH: We like the fact that VersaTREK is expandable and that we can use the system for sterile body fluids, as the VersaTREK is FDA-cleared for this application. We are not currently interfaced, but we are looking forward to all the reports once we interface VersaTREK with MediTech.

T: Have you recovered any unusual organisms since using VersaTREK?
CCMH: Yes, we have recovered Salmonella sp. and Campylobacter sp. which we had not recovered in the past.

T: Have you noticed any increase in recovery of certain organisms since the VersaTREK was brought into your lab?
CCMH: Absolutely. Compared to our previous system, VersaTREK has a faster time- to detection, has been better at recovery and is easier to use.

Congratulations to Campbell County on their new VersaTREK instrument! We look forward to a long partnership and instrument expansion as they continue to grow and develop with the community.