ASTM
Connect lab analyzers that speak ASTM. No separate protocol converter needed.
Why it matters
Bring ASTM instruments in without a middleman.
Many chemistry and hematology analyzers only speak ASTM E1381/E1394. Without native support, a lab needs a separate protocol converter or custom-coded socket handling to bridge the gap. The ASTM plugin handles the analyzer conversation directly in BridgeLink, so an ASTM instrument connects into a channel the same way an HL7 instrument already does. The plugin is designed for TCP connections.
Capabilities
What it does:
Native ASTM session handling
Runs the ENQ/ACK handshake, frame checksums, and session teardown the way instruments expect, over a TCP/IP connection.
Reliable delivery
Detects duplicate and dropped frames, retries automatically, and waits out the standard's busy-receiver delay instead of hammering a stalled instrument.
Multi-patient batch splitting
Breaks one instrument transmission carrying several patients' results into individual messages, so a channel can process them one at a time.
XML message model
Converts ASTM records to and from XML, so filters and transformers work with familiar BridgeLink XML instead of raw delimited text.
Configurable line contention
Sets whether the channel or the instrument goes first when both try to start a session at once, matching how the equipment is configured.
Built for real instruments
Tolerates line noise and malformed records from actual analyzers without losing or duplicating a message.
Requirements
What you'll need:
- BridgeLink 26.6.0 or later
- An ASTM Plugin license
- A lab analyzer that speaks ASTM E1381/E1394
- A TCP/IP network connection to the analyzer
Availability
Requires BridgeLink 26.6.0 or later and an ASTM Plugin license. Installed by Innovar Healthcare or your professional services contact.
Add ASTM to BridgeLink.
Talk to us about your deployment, or read the full user guide to get started.