State-of-the-Art Laboratory Services

The Core Laboratory offers general and specialized laboratory testing on blood, body fluids and urine 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The laboratory technologists at each Children's Hospital Colorado lab are specially trained on the intricacies of pediatric laboratory testing, so they can provide the extra level of expertise necessary to help diagnose and treat pediatric illnesses.

The Core Laboratory consists of three sections: chemistry, hematology and flow cytometry.

• Chemistry Lab: This laboratory gets providers the evidence they need to make informed clinical decisions about the concentrations of specific chemicals in blood, urine and other bodily fluids. We're able to complete most general chemistry tests in one hour, allowing physicians to make critical care decisions in a timely manner.
• Hematology Lab: Specially trained in pediatric blood and body fluid cell identification, the medical technologists at the Hematology Laboratory help our doctors at The Hematology Program properly diagnose and care for patients with blood disorders.
• Flow Cytometry Lab: This laboratory analyzes blood and bone marrow samples, providing the evidence physicians at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders need to make a diagnosis.

Because we believe in making quality care accessible and we want to make things a little easier for your family, we offer care as close to home as possible. We have outpatient labs at locations throughout Colorado.

The pathology and laboratory medicine experts at our outpatient labs specialize in pediatric blood draws, so they know how to draw blood and obtain samples from the smallest of patients. When we're doing blood tests for kids, we aim to calm your child's fears and make them as comfortable as possible.

Laboratory equipment tailored to kids

No kid likes needles, which is why we perform finger sticks and heel sticks as often as possible. And when we need a larger sample and have to draw blood from a vein (venipuncture), we use the smallest possible needle: the butterfly needle.

We also use heel and hand warmers to warm the site where we'll be drawing blood and to increase circulation and blood flow. Even though this takes a little more time, we believe it's important to go the extra mile so your child is as comfortable as possible.

Sometimes, instead of coming to our lab for testing, the lab comes to you. Point-of-care (POC) testing refers to the tests that your child's care team conducts at their bedside – at the point of care.

And when team members perform POC testing, parents can rest easy knowing that every nurse, provider and clinical care team member meets or exceeds our standards for quality and patient safety.

The Transfusion Medicine branch of our Laboratory Services Department is responsible for supplying safe, pure and potent blood and cellular therapy products to the patients we serve.

The Transfusion Medicine Laboratory is comprised of four sections:

• The Blood Bank: The Blood Bank is responsible for receiving, processing, storing and shipping blood products drawn by the Blood Donor Center and subsequently preparing them for patient use. Through testing of patient blood samples, the Blood Bank determines the blood product needs of each patient to meet their individual specifications. And as a level one trauma center for a seven-state surrounding area, the Blood Bank is prepared for trauma emergencies.
• The Blood and Marrow Transplant Laboratory: Working closely with the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program team, this lab helps to ensure the best possible outcomes for our pediatric transplant patients.
• Therapeutic Apheresis: The Therapeutic Apheresis team supports the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders by providing critical services such as:
  • Therapeutic plasma exchange
  • Red blood cell exchanges
  • Stem cell collections that are then manufactured in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Laboratory
• The Blood Donor Center: The blood donated to our Blood Donor Center and stored in the Blood Bank makes the lifesaving procedures performed at Children's Colorado possible.

The specialists in our Microbiology Lab serve as vital consultants to our physicians, helping to determine what medications will cure an infection.

Working closely with other teams throughout the hospital and the clinical laboratory – like the Infectious Disease, Antimicrobial Stewardship and Pharmacy teams – this lab aids in the diagnosis of many diseases, including those caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites and other microorganisms.

Our precision medicine laboratory, research and data analysis teams are vital to diagnosing and treating kids with rare conditions, creating individualized treatments and improving our care over time. Learn about the areas where we advance this work.

Precision medicine clinical laboratory

Our Precision Diagnostics Laboratory specializes in advanced genetic testing for kids and adolescents. Through various types of tests, we can help families:

• Confirm a diagnosis or get a more accurate diagnosis
• Understand their prognosis
• Monitor a child’s condition over time
• Diagnose a rare condition if they’ve struggled to get a clear diagnosis

Because genetic conditions often impact the entire family, we can evaluate several family members so you have a full picture of your family’s health and risks. We can do this when we assess your child or in a follow-up appointment. When appropriate, we also offer home collection kits for convenience.

Our state-of-the-art lab allows us to process and analyze results quickly, accurately and securely. This lab is staffed by professionally trained experts in genetics, medical technology, data and quality assurance.

Genomic research

Research is a vital part of improving care for kids — both now and in the future. We empower researchers so they can better understand the cause of genetic conditions and discover new treatments. We also help them bring these life-saving innovations to our patients faster.

Technology and innovation lab 

We bring the same focus to technical innovation that we do to discovering new treatments. Our experts regularly use and develop new technologies, applications and data processes. We ensure they are valid and safe, and then bring them to our providers to improve our care.

Improving diagnoses with data

Utilizing large amounts of data helps improve our precision medicine care. Thanks to advanced techniques and our experienced team, we can use data to more accurately diagnose kids in search of answers.

Learn more about our Precision Medicine Institute