Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc'

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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
A Comparison Anaerobic Jars/Gas Pack
Systems Anaerobic/Environmental Chambers
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
The purpose for any laboratory procedure is to

• Effectively and efficiently aid in diagnosis
  of patient disease or disorder.

• Enable the physician to determine and
  implement the most effective treatment for
  optimal patient outcome.

• Attain the above objectives in a
  cost- effective manner.

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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
The purpose of anaerobic bacteria culture
procedures, therefore, include

• Complete, accurate and rapid identification of
  all anaerobic bacterial pathogens contributing
  to patient infection.

• Enabling the physician to determine and
  implement the most effective treatment in terms
  of antibiotic therapy.

• Attaining the above objectives in a
  cost effective manner.

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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars

• May be perceived to be equivalent in
  efficacy to anaerobic chambers.

• May be perceived to provide greater user
  efficiency productivity than a chamber.

• May be perceived as less costly than a
  chamber.

• May be perceived to provide greater user
  convenience than a chamber.

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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars

• Will anaerobic jars provide complete, accurate
  and rapid identification of anaerobic bacterial
  pathogens?

• Will anaerobic jars enable the physician to
  develop and implement effective treatment in a
  timely manner for optimal patient outcome?

• Will anaerobic jars accomplish the above as
  well or better than an anaerobic chamber?

According to Microbiology experts, the answer to
all of the above is Maybe or No. (Dr. Joan
Barenfanger, Mike Cox, etc.)
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars vs. Anaerobic Chamber - Efficacy
Oxygen is toxic for most anaerobes and exposure
to oxygen inhibits and can, on occasion, prevent
anaerobe growth. Multiple studies have
demonstrated that anaerobic jars are inferior to
anaerobic chambers in terms of anaerobe recovery,
rate of growth, and therefore isolation and
identification. The basic deficiency of an
anaerobic jar system is the need to expose the
anaerobes to, what is for those organisms,
atoxic gas. The toxic gas is oxygen. Even if
jars dont leak during incubation the
technologist must expose the anaerobes to oxygen
during the plating process and, subsequently, for
isolation, sub culturing and susceptibility
testing. Phone calls and other interruptions to
workflow can increase the exposure to oxygen.
This simply does not occur when initial and
subsequent culture is performed in an anaerobic
chamber.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
The apple below was cut in half. The left half
was put in an anaerobic chamber, the right half
left in aerobic conditions for thirty minutes.
If you put the apple half on the right in an
anaerobic jar or chamber, the brown color
(oxidation) will not be reversed. The oxidized
cells of the apple are dead.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
The picture below shows an anaerobic organism
exhibiting the effects of exposure to oxygen.
Note the serious damage to the cell membrane.
This damage will not be reversed in an anaerobic
jar.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars vs. Anaerobic Chamber - Efficacy
In summary, noted Microbiologists state that
initial and subsequent exposure to oxygen,
inherent with anaerobic jar systems, impair
growth and survival of anaerobic pathogens. At
best, using a jar system retards anaerobic
bacteria growth and leads to delays in
identification and determination of the most
effective treatment protocol. At worst, some
anaerobic pathogens are not identified or
susceptibility testing is inaccurate. Again
patient treatment is negatively affected and
patient outcome may be less than
satisfactory. Using an anaerobic chamber
eliminates the unwanted exposure to oxygen and
resulting anaerobe oxidation. An anaerobic
chamber promotes rapid growth of all anaerobes,
quicker, more accurate identification and, thus,
more effective treatment and better patient
outcome.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars

• Is an anaerobic jar system a more cost
  effective system for anaerobic procedures than
  an anaerobic chamber?

• Doesnt the cost of an anaerobic chamber mean
  that a jar system will be much less costly?

Again, according to Microbiology experts, the
answer to the above is No. (Dr. Joan
Barenfanger, Mike Cox, etc.)
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars versus Anaerobic Chamber Costs
An independent cost in use study compared the
long run cost of using an anaerobic jar system
versus an anaerobic chamber (a BACTRON ) for
clinical laboratory anaerobic procedures, initial
culture, isolation, identification and
susceptibility testing. The study considered the
costs for both systems, associated disposable
supplies and materials and staff labor costs.
Study results projected a long run, per plate
cost with anaerobic jars of 0.96. The long run,
per plate cost for the BACTRON anaerobic chamber
was 0.09, less than 10 of that for of the jar
system. The chart in the next slide demonstrates
that, even considering the purchase price of a
BACTRON IV, a jar system is more expensive than a
chamber after three years. The study, also noted
that patient diagnosis and effective treatment
was prolonged with the anaerobic jar system
resulting in increased patient care days and
added cost in that area as compared to an
anaerobic chamber.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars versus Anaerobic Chamber Costs
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars vs. Anaerobic Chamber - Cost
In summary, an Independent Study (Barenfanger et
al) concludes that mid to long run (three to five
years) costs for anaerobic jars exceeds that of
an anaerobic chamber. The cost-per-plate for
anaerobic jars is estimated to be more than ten
times the cost-per-plate for anaerobe chambers.
It is true that the anaerobe chamber certainly
involves a significantly high year-one investment
cost in the chamber purchase price. However, the
ongoing cost for anaerobe jar system disposables
and replacement items (new jars, gas packs,
indicator strips) begins to equal the investment
in the chamber purchase and chamber gas costs in
two to three years. By year three to five, the
cost to use anaerobe jars exceeds that of the
chamber disposables and the original purchase
price. Since durable SHEL LAB BACTRON chambers
have a working life of ten to fifteen years, the
savings with an anaerobe chamber become
exponential in ten years.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars
Does an anaerobic jar system offer the
Microbiologist a more convenient, comfortable
system?
Comfort and convenience are relative, subjective
terms.
However, removing numerous anaerobic jars from an
incubator, transferring them to a bench,
unsealing all those jars, and hurriedly trying to
complete sub culturing (to limit oxygen exposure
and oxidation) does not seem convenient. Neither
does quickly re-loading, resealing and returning
all the jars to the incubator.
In fact, it seems highly stressful for the
Microbiologist and the anaerobic bacteria.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
Anaerobic Jars
Does an anaerobic jar system offer the
Microbiologist a more convenient, comfortable
system?
The anaerobic chamber is a fully-functional
laboratory bench and incubator.
All necessary media, equipment and supplies are
close at hand. Specimens and culture plates
right where the Microbiologist needs them. The
work area and chamber incubator are always at
ideal anaerobic conditions. The Microbiologist
can work at a reasonable pace, under comfortable
room temperature conditions, without concern
regarding exposure of the anaerobic bacteria to
toxic oxygen.
This seems more convenient and comfortable for
the Microbiologist and less stressful for
anaerobic bacteria.
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Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.
A Comparison Anaerobic Jars/Gas Pack
Systems Anaerobic/Environmental Chambers
Thank you for your time. Questions or comments,
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