KEY POINTS:
A technology jolt at Middlemore Hospital has given it New Zealand-first status as a clutch of new machines comes on line this week.
Two cutting-edge blood-cell counters and an automated microscope system have been installed at the haematology laboratory.
Middlemore Hospital haematologist John Peters said the cell counters from Japan were the first of their type in New Zealand.
They were used to examine blood film automatically, before storing the images in a computer to identify blood cells.
Those images could then be viewed remotely in the laboratory, off-site at a remote station or emailed anywhere in the world.
The blood-cell counters would show blood components - including red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and degrees of anaemia - to help identify disease states and patients' medical conditions, Dr Peters said.
They would analyse more than 160,000 samples a year, and replace the hospital's three nine-year-old systems.
The new units were up to 50 per cent faster and provided more information.
Abnormal blood samples would receive more intense observation by scientists and technicians using more traditional microscopes.
