October 2009 Archives

The know error® system for prostate biopsies is being showcased at the Annual Meeting of the Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA). The meeting is being held November 6-7, 2009, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, IL. For more information on this meeting, visit www.lugpa.org. 

The know error® system for prostate biopsies is being showcased this week at the Annual Meeting of the South Central Section of the American Urological Association (AUA). The meeting is being held October 14-17, 2009, at the Camelback Inn, JW Marriott Resort, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Look for us at Booth #151 in the exhibit hall. 

Through the use of DNA Specimen Provenance Assignment (DSPA) and bar code technology, the know error® system brings new levels of safety and accuracy to the biopsy evaluation process. This innovative system dramatically reduces the incidence of Specimen Provenance Complications (SPC) enhancing patient safety and diagnostic accuracy.

The know error® system uncovers SPCs by matching tissue from a positive biopsy result to a reference sample taken from the patient via a simple cheek swab to confirm that the tissue belongs to the patient. By performing DNA matching prior to treatment, the know error® system virtually eliminates diagnostic mistakes due SPC.

For more information about the know error® system for prostate biopsies, please visit our website www.knowerror.com.

Recent posts have discussed several cases where medical mix-ups have resulted in unnecessary cancer removal surgeries. One case was that of Scott Aprile, a 28 year old personal trainer, who had his breast tissue and several lymph nodes removed after his lab results were switched with another patient's. Another case discussed a 32 year old woman from Melbourne, Australia, who underwent a radical hysterectomy after her biopsy sample had been contaminated with tissue from a patient who did have cancer. In each of these cases, both patients underwent unnecessary surgeries as well as the immeasurable pain and suffering that go along with a cancer diagnosis. But, they also had another thing in common - they both survived.

In early 2008, a similar lab mix up resulted in the death of a young New York woman.  She had been mistakenly diagnosed with breast cancer and decided to move ahead with treatment quickly since breast cancer ran in her family. She opted for a double mastectomy in conjunction with reconstructive surgery. The day after the surgery she died due to complications from the surgery. As with the two cases above, post surgical tests revealed there was no cancer in the first place. The hospital also made similar claims as those made in the other two cases, i.e., they had taken steps "to ensure that such an event [would] not occur in the future." 

While it is unknown what specific steps have been taken or will be taken by these hospitals, it is known that these types of Specimen Provenance Complications (SPC) cannot be prevented through procedural improvements alone.  (Read more on this here.)  One way to truly prevent SPCs is to utilize DNA matching technology to confirm the positive biopsy tissue belongs to the patient prior to beginning any treatment plans or surgery.

Through the use of DNA Specimen Provenance Assignment (DSPA) and bar code technology, the know error®  system brings new levels of safety and accuracy to the biopsy evaluation process. This innovative system dramatically reduces the incidence of SPCs enhancing patient safety and diagnostic accuracy. By performing DNA testing prior to treatment, the know error® system virtually eliminates diagnostic mistakes due to SPC.

For more information about the know error® system, please visit our website www.knowerror.com.