Patent ID: 8112229

Claim:
A method for arranging assays in an order for execution in a system that employs a plurality of clinical analyzers and carrying out said assays after said assays are arranged in said order for execution, said method comprising the steps of: (a) prioritizing the order of execution of a number of individual assays in a set of assays for a given sample in an original sample container, the priority of an individual assay in the set of assays for the given sample being specified by the sensitivity of the individual assay, wherein there is at least one sample-to-sample carryover contribution from at least one other sample, an assay of the at least one other sample preceding the individual assay of the given sample; (b) calculating the sum of the sample-to-sample carryover contribution(s) from the at least one other sample for at least one assay of the at least one other sample that precedes the individual assay of the given sample; (c) comparing the sum calculated in step (b) to the sensitivity threshold of the individual assay of the given sample; and (d) if the sum calculated in step (b) is less than the sensitivity threshold of the individual assay of the given sample, establishing an order for execution of assays for the given sample that includes the individual assay of the given sample; (e) carrying out the individual assays in the order established in step (d); but (f) if the sum calculated in step (b) is greater than the sensitivity threshold of the individual assay of the given sample, aspirating at least one portion of the given sample from the original sample container and dispensing that at least one portion into at least one additional sample container, the at least one portion of the given sample dispensed into the at least one additional sample container to be used to carry out the individual assay of the given sample; (g) carrying out the individual assays in the order established in step (f).