Blood test results from Whitehorse General Hospital may be delayed in the coming days, as the hospital reports that some of their lab equipment is “experiencing unplanned downtime.”
Hematology analyzers at the lab — which provide diagnosis information for health services in the hospital and across the territory — are not working, according a Facebook post by Yukon Hospitals. The analyzers support the “complete blood count” or CBC test, which is commonly ordered with other lab tests, as per the post.
Tests and results may take longer due to this equipment being down, per the post. The laboratory will be prioritizing urgent cases, like those of admitted patients, surgeries, or emergency department cases, and samples arriving from the communities.
Those with requisitions from their family doctor can expect delays, with the laboratory team considering the urgency of those who will be needing a CBC test. Those whose need is less urgent can have all other tests done and return for a CBC test later on, or have a full requisition completed at another time when the equipment is working again.
The equipment issue will not affect lab services at the Dawson or Watson Lake hospitals, as per the post.
This most recent issue follows a series of equipment and infrastructure issues encountered at the hospital’s surgical department. Earlier this year, the hospital had to cancel surgeries multiple days after surgical sterilization equipment was leaving residue on surgical tools. At the beginning of April, more surgeries were cancelled as the surgical department’s sprinkler system sprung a leak in one of the operating rooms.
According to the Yukon Hospitals’ Facebook post, technical support staff will be on-site today.
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
