High Definition Haematology at the Royal Berkshire Hospital

size, clarity and detail that the Optronics camera produces has enabled us to make the MDT
meetings accessible to a greater number of staff members”. Alternating with the MDT is an in house
laboratory meeting. This meeting is purely aimed at laboratory staff and allows the more technical
aspects of haematology to be discussed. Interesting blood films and NEQAS EQA slides are often
shown as a skills update to experienced staff and as a teaching lesson for the more inexperienced.
The secondary functions of the unit have also been well received. The screen capture function has
been particularly utilised. Not only do medical staff use it to capture pictures for publication, but it
has facilitated the gathering of evidence for the IBMS registration portfolio. Chris Doherty, a Trainee
Biomedical Scientist at the RBH says “The camera enables me to capture screenshots at the touch of
a button which are then saved directly to my memory stick for use in my portfolio. Not only can I
quickly acquire images of the usual haematological disorders but I can also use it to produce more
practical images, such as the effect of a poorly spread blood film on the distribution of the red cells.”
Future Proof
Three years later and the Microcast® HD camera is still the only high definition 1080p video
solution for microscopy on the market. Since the system has been installed it has been well received
by clinical and laboratory staff alike who are amazed at the detail achievable. It is conceivable that
the unit is future proof until a new higher definition resolution is introduced; however, currently the
only limit seems to be only the optics that are attached.
Reference
The Optronics Microcast® HD Studio is distributed in the UK by Grafton Optical. For additional
information on North American distribution please visit: www.optronics.com