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Prediction of respiratory distress syndrome by a new colorimetric assay
R Almog1, J W Goldkrand, R A Saulsbery
1Wadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research, New York State Department of Health, Albany 12201-0509.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of a new, simple, and rapid colorimetric assay for predicting respiratory distress syndrome.
Study Design:
Ninety-four specimens obtained within 3 days of delivery were assayed with the new test. For 78 of these specimens, the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio was also determined. Significant differences were calculated with chi 2 analysis. Cutoff points were selected by maximizing the corresponding sums of sensitivity and specificity and from receiver-operator-characteristic curves.
Results:
The specificity of the new colorimetric test was better than 89%, and it yielded more than 86% correct diagnoses. Furthermore, the test had a significantly (p less than 0.05) lower percentage of false-immature results than that obtained with the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio. Moreover, the new test performed relatively well in analyses of patients between 27 weeks and 36 weeks' gestation.
Conclusion:
We concluded that the new assay is reliable and that it can serve as a useful alternative to current methods for predicting respiratory distress syndrome.