This page covers behavior specific to the Abbott Alinity integration. For the general integration workflow (order download, result upload, matching, and auto-finalization), see Integration workflow.
The Alinity uses the ASTM E1394 protocol and connects to bLIS Gateway using the alinity-s driver.
Result type filtering
The Alinity sends multiple result records (R records) per test, each with a different result type. For example, a single Anti-HCV test produces records like:
| Record | Value | Type | Description |
|---|
| R|1 | 0.21 | F (Final) | Raw S/CO numeric value |
| R|2 | NonReactive | I (Interpreted) | Clinically interpreted result |
| R|3 | 15000 | P (Preliminary) | Raw RLU value |
alinity-s driver filters these records and forwards only the types that carry clinically meaningful data:
| Type code | Meaning | Forwarded to bLIS |
|---|
| I | Interpreted result | Yes |
| X | Error / Exception | Yes |
| F | Final (raw numeric) | No |
| P | Preliminary (raw) | No |
| G | GUID | No |
| A | Assay control | No |
| Q | Release control | No |
Only I (interpreted) and X (error/exception) result types are sent to bLIS. The raw numeric values (F, P) are not forwarded because the interpreted result is the clinically actionable value. If the test definition in bLIS expects a numeric result, the interpreted value is still used as the source.
^^^<assayNumber>^<assayName>^<dilution>^<resultType>
^^^25^Anti-HCV^UNDILUTED^I
The gateway driver extracts the assay number (e.g., 25) and uses it as the test code sent to bLIS. When building ASTM responses back to the Alinity (during order download), the driver formats the test code as ^^^<assayNumber>.
The assay number in the Alinity’s test code must match the instrument code configured on the corresponding test result specification in bLIS. For example, if the Alinity sends assay number 25 for Anti-HCV, the Anti-HCV test result spec in bLIS must have its instrument code set to 25.
Result value mapping
When the Alinity sends interpreted text results, bLIS maps the instrument’s value strings to standardized result codes:
| Alinity value | bLIS code | Auto-finalized? |
|---|
| Nonreactive | NR | Yes |
| Reactive | R | No — manual review required |
| Indeterminate | I | No — manual review required |
| Equivocal | EQV | No — manual review required |
| Invalid | INV | No — manual review required |
| NotConfirmed | NC | No — manual review required |
| Confirmed | C | No — manual review required |
Only Nonreactive text results and numeric results are auto-finalized. All other interpreted values require a technologist to review and finalize the result in bLIS before it appears on patient reports.
ASTM message examples
Order download (query)
The Alinity sends a query for pending orders:
H|\^&|||Alinity s|||||||P|LIS2-A2|20260214103758
Q|1|^002231522041700||^^^ALL||||||||O
L|1
H|\^&||||||||||P|LIS2-A2|20260214103800
P|1
O|1|002231522041700||^^^65|||||||A||||||||||||||O
O|2|002231522041700||^^^25|||||||A||||||||||||||O
L|1
O record represents a test the instrument should run, with the assay number in the test code field (^^^65, ^^^25).
If no orders are found, the gateway responds with a negative acknowledgment:
H|\^&||||||||||P|LIS2-A2|20260214103800
Q|1|^002231522041700||^^^ALL||||||||X
L|1
Result upload
The Alinity sends test results:
H|\^&|||Alinity s|||||||P|LIS2-A2|20260214104200
P|1||||Smith^Jane
O|1|002231522041700||^^^25^Anti-HCV^UNDILUTED^I|R||||||||||O
R|1|^^^25^Anti-HCV^UNDILUTED^I|NonReactive|S/CO||N||F||operator1||20260214104100
L|1
Configuration example
A typical gateway configuration for the Alinity:
instruments:
- name: "Alinity-1"
driver: "alinity-s"
apiKey: "<api-key>"
respondOnLisFailure: false
serialNumber: "ABC12345"
input:
port: 3001
ip: "192.168.1.50" # Optional: restrict to instrument IP
| Field | Notes |
|---|
driver | Must be alinity-s for Alinity instruments |
respondOnLisFailure | When false, the instrument receives no response on bLIS errors, causing a visible timeout that alerts the operator. When true, a negative acknowledgment is sent instead. |
input.port | The TCP port the Alinity is configured to connect to. Must be unique across all instruments. |
input.ip | Optional. Restricts the listening port to only accept connections from this IP address. |
