May 13, 2020 –  New Scientific Resource available from Advanced Instruments.  

Article Summary: Recent publications have shown that COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is associated with electrolyte disorders including hyponatremia. Early diagnosis and etiologic determination are critical in any hyponatremic patient to ensure proper treatment and to avoid potential harm to the patient. Osmolality testing is quick, inexpensive and effective to help with early detection and diagnosis of hyponatremia. Osmolality testing can help ensure that appropriate treatment strategies are implemented early for hyponatremic patients which may be even more significant in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. As clinicians and researchers continue to expand their understanding of COVID-19, additional laboratory testing is important to consider to help better understand and diagnose a COVID-19 patient’s underlying conditions.

Click here to read the full paper.  

• • None to date. At this time, new instrument and testing supply shipment schedules are not impacted and we do not foresee any disruption, but we will continue to monitor and notify you should delays arise.
  • We have proactively increased our inventory levels, continue to increase our production output, and have implemented redundant processes to mitigate risk of product shortages or production delays.
  • We are also storing materials in multiple facilities to ensure redundant supply.
  • We continue communication with our suppliers to understand and quickly respond to changing market dynamics, minimizing impacts to our business and disruptions to our customers.

• Phone support is not impacted. We will continue to provide 24/7 technical phone support. You can reach Technical Support by calling +1-800-225-4034 or via email at [email protected].
• On-site repairs will continue on a limited basis based on the criticality of the need and our ability to access the customer’s facility.
• For each service request we will coordinate with the customer to determine a plan that meets their specific needs.
• We will expand the use of our state-of-the-art Media Room, located within our US Headquarters, to offer additional support remotely with the use of virtual tools.

• Advanced Instruments Customer Service and Sales teams continue to support all our customers’ product needs. We are available to prepare quotes, receive electronic POs, send invoices, receive payments as well as respond to your customer service needs.
• The Customer Service team is available 8am to 4:30pm EDT and can be reached at +1-800-225-4034 or can be emailed at [email protected].
• The Sales Department is available 8am to 5:30pm EDT and can also be reached at [email protected].
• We also can support virtual ‘hands-on’ product demonstrations of our complete portfolio of products with the use of our state-of-the-art Media Room.  Please contact [email protected] to schedule a virtual demo.

• All instrumentation from Advanced Instruments can be cleaned and decontaminated using standard hospital laboratory disinfectants. Model-specific procedures are not needed since all instrument surfaces that may come in contact with body fluids (e.g., housings, keypads, probes, stir wires, sample handlers, cooling wells, etc.) are durable and resistant to damage from cleaning products. Users are encouraged to thoroughly disinfect an instrument as they see fit.
• Please note that internal, electronic components may not be resistant to cleaning products. Under normal operating procedures these components are not exposed to body fluids. Instruments should never be operated without their covers in place.
• Please consult your facility’s internal guidelines for proper procedures, cleaning materials, personal protection and disposal rules when handling or cleaning potentially contaminated items. You may also consult the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) publications for more information about biohazard materials. These can be found at:
  • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/lab/lab-biosafety-guidelines.html
  • https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

• More Events to Come:  We are planning a roster of webinars that will cover a variety of topics such as technology showcases, mini training sessions, and “ask the expert” sessions.  Please check our Events page to view our upcoming schedule.