Development of a point-of-contact technique to measure adenosine triphosphate: A quality improvement study

Patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) experience fatigue due to impaired myocardial bioenergetics. Cardiomyocyte function depends on the delivery of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), yet there is no convenient bedside method to measure ATP. The purpose of this study was to develop a point-of-contact measurement of ATP that can be used in a clinical setting.

In a laboratory setting, digital finger punctures were conducted using 5 μl and 10 μl of capillary blood placed into various amounts of water (H2O). After mixing the solution for 10 s, a Hygiena AquaSnapTM Free ATP probe was placed into the solution for 10 s for the detection of ATP. The probe was then placed into the Hygiena luminometer for 15 s, and a value in relative light units (RLU) was obtained.

Test samples using 10 μl of blood diluted from 50 to 500 mls of H2O produced ATP readings of 10,000-7569 RLUs. Using 5 μl of blood in 375-900 ml of H2O decreased the ATP values to 6459-4189 RLUs. Dilutional volume sparing experiments were conducted with ATP standards to determine the concentration of ATP per RLUs.

Patients with HFpEF have increased metabolic demand and impaired myocardial bioenergetics. Thus, identifying a method to measure ATP that is quick and accurate is imperative to accurately assess cellular energy production in this population. Point-of-contact measures, such as ATP, are needed for precision-guided treatment. Data from this study provides the first step toward developing evidence for health policies related to managing fatigue.