Objectives

To explore the advantages related to the introduction of an innovative plasma tube (Barricor™), for both routine and emergency chemistry tests, compared with the current use of serum gel separator tubes.

Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted considering the principal pre-analytical indicators for blood analysis process, assuming the hospital perspective. An “AS IS” scenario (use of the serum gel separator tube) was compared with a “TO BE” scenario (introduction of Barricor™), in order to gather real-life laboratory information, concerning hemolysis level, number of samples with clotting issues, turnaround time and total process time. Activity-Based Costing and Budget Impact analyses were conducted, to assess the economic and financial impact of Barricor™, considering 850,224 tubes per year, of which 26.97% as STAT samples.

Results

Barricor™ would significantly reduce the percentage of haemolyzed samples (-24%), and those with problems related to the presence of fibrin (-50%), improving the TAT (turnaround time), both for routine (-35.08 min) and for STAT (-5.09 min) samples. Switching from serum to plasma matrix allows, besides saving 30 minutes for clotting, a decrease in the overall process time equal to -84.28%.

Through the Activity-Based Costing, processes costs, related to the two technologies, were estimated. Despite the Barricor™ technology shows a 1.80% higher price compared with serum gel tubes, its advantages enable an economic saving equal to 1.08% € on annual basis, for the proper analysis of 850,224 tubes.

Conclusions

The results highlighted the clinical relevance of Barricor™, its effectiveness and economic sustainability, compared to the gel separator serum tube, with significant organizational and economic advantages, leading to an overall optimization of the process, providing discussion points that can influence a scientific debate that has been going on for a long time.