Glossary
ASTM LIS2-A2
A standard for how clinical analyzers and lab software exchange orders and results.
What is ASTM LIS2-A2?
LIS2-A2 is a standard that describes the messages clinical analyzers and lab computer systems use to exchange test orders and results. It is published by CLSI (the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) and grew out of the earlier ASTM E1394 standard, which is why people often call it the ASTM protocol.
A companion standard, LIS1-A (from ASTM E1381), covers the lower-level details of sending data over a serial cable. Today many analyzers send the same messages over a network connection instead.
Record types
- H: header, the start of a message.
- P: patient information.
- O: order, including the specimen ID and tests.
- R: result.
- C: comment.
- L: terminator, the end of a message.
Many analyzers support ASTM, HL7 v2 or both. Each manufacturer adds its own details, so every connection still needs some setup and testing, such as mapping analyzer test codes to the lab's own tests.
How Lab Desk handles it
Lab Desk connects to analyzers over serial or network using ASTM E1394 / LIS2-A2 or HL7 v2, with CSV import as a fallback. It maps analyzer codes to your test catalog and matches results by sample ID. See orders and results.
Related terms
- HL7: A family of standards for exchanging health information between systems, and the organization that publishes them.
- Specimen ID (accession number): A unique number given to a specimen or order so it can be tracked and matched to the right patient.
- LIS (laboratory information system): Software that manages a clinical lab's orders, specimens, results and reports.
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