Small Hospital Diagnostic Equipment and Prion Diseases

alaskamatt17 · Feb 25, 2007

Does anybody know what kind of lab equipment might be found in a small hospital (less than 25 beds)?

If it helps, the scene involves a CDC team trying to determine whether or not a man in a small town died of a prion-based disease. A major storm has cut off all access and communication to this town, and they know the disease can kill within a week, which doesn't leave a lot of time.

I've searched through medical journals for tests that might be done for prion diseases, but I don't really understand the jargon, and it sounds like the tests might not be feasible in a small-town hospital. If anyone can help, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks.

ColoradoGuy · Feb 28, 2007

I believe the only way to diagnose prion disease is with frozen post-mortem brain tissues handled by a pathologist with special expertise. This wouldn't be available at a small hospital, although they could send the tissue out. This link from the British Medical Bulletin is useful.

alaskamatt17 · Feb 28, 2007

Thanks. I have an idea what I might do. The CDC team can't verify a prion disease on site, so they have to get a really good pilot to fly one of them out through the storm. It could make for a pretty intense scene.

Tsu Dho Nimh · Mar 1, 2007

Labs ship samples to a bigger lab for any rare disease. It's not cost-effective to keep the reagents and equipment around in case you need it.

Unless there is a risk of the stuff spreading to thousands of others, the CDC will not risk a good pilot's life.

What the CDC will do is slap a tight quarantine on the town if the disease is contagious and prevent the spread while they figure out what to do. They are heartless bastards who care more about the populaiton as a whole than they do the life of a a few or a few hundred people. They are epidemiologists.

Small Hospital Diagnostic Equipment and Prion Diseases

alaskamatt17

ColoradoGuy

I've seen worse.

alaskamatt17

Tsu Dho Nimh