Mater Dei toxicology labs make top three in performance ranking

Mater Dei Hospital’s toxicology labs have placed among the top three in a clinical case study to test standards carried out by a leading UK quality assurance institute.

Out of 23 participating laboratories who took part in the LGC case study external quality testing programme, the Mater Dei labs made the top three for the best performing labs once again.

The case study concerned a patient taking an overdose of risperidone, clozapine and fluoxetine, which are psychiatric medications. Fluoxetine is an antidepressant known by its trade name Prozac.

Mater Dei Hospital said that the analysis and clinical interpretation reports were compiled by senior scientific staff Mr Joseph Magri, Mr Jonathan Vella and Dr Michelle (Mikhaila) Muscat, the medical consultant in chemical pathology in charge of toxicology labs.

Toxicology Laboratories are part of the Pathology Department run by Clinical Chairperson Dr Christopher Barbara.

The Toxicology Unit in Malta was established at St Luke’s Hospital in the early 1980s by Professor Michael Sammut.