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Joško Osredkar1,2, Katja Krivic2, Teja Fabjan1
1Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Insights
This study compared cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assays, finding strong linear relationships between laboratory and point-of-care (POC) high-sensitivity cTnI tests. POC testing also reduced total turnaround time for results.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Biomarker Analysis
- Point-of-Care Testing
Background:
- Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a crucial biomarker for acute myocardial infarction.
- Numerous point-of-care (POC) analyzers are available for cTnI measurement, necessitating performance comparisons.
- Assessing turnaround time (TAT) is vital for laboratory performance and patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cTnI results from ADVIA Centaur ultra-sensitive (us-cTnI) and high-sensitive (hs-cTnI) assays with a POC high-sensitivity assay (PATHFAST).
- To evaluate the total turnaround time (TAT) for laboratory results using the POC PATHFAST analyzer.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed patient samples using ADVIA Centaur us-cTnI, ADVIA Centaur hs-cTnI, and PATHFAST POC assays.
- Compared results from the three assays using Passing-Bablok regression analysis.
- Evaluated TAT for laboratory results generated by the PATHFAST POC analyzer.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated strong linear relationships among all three cTnI assays (us-cTnI, hs-cTnI, and PATHFAST POC).
- Confirmed strong linear relationships between the two high-sensitivity assays (hs-cTnI and PATHFAST POC) for serum samples.
- Observed a reduction in total turnaround time (TAT) with the PATHFAST POC analyzer compared to previous studies.
Conclusions:
- Point-of-care high-sensitivity cTnI testing demonstrates strong correlation with laboratory-based assays.
- The PATHFAST POC analyzer offers a reduced total turnaround time for cTnI results.
- Timeliness of laboratory results is critical for patient management and laboratory performance.
Aim:
Although the levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) have proved to be a useful diagnostic biomarker of acute myocardial infarction, there are a wide variety of point-of-care (POC) analysers, which provide measurements of cTnI. The aim of this study was to compare the results obtained by the ADVIA Centaur ultra-assay cTnI assay (us-cTnI), ADVIA Centaur high-sensitive cTnI assay (hs-cTnI) and a POC high-sensitivity assay using PATHFAST. We also aimed to explore total turnaround time (TAT) for laboratory results using the POC PATHFAST analyser.
Methods:
Samples from 161 patients were taken. Of these samples, 129 were tested with all three assays (us-cTnI, hs-cTnI and PATHFAST), and 32 samples were tested on PATHFAST for the comparison of whole blood, serum and plasma.
Results:
Comparison of the POC testing methods in this study demonstrated that there are strong linear relationships between all three cTnI assays (us-cTnI, hs-cTnI and POC on PATHFAST). Furthermore, we also show there are strong linear relationships between the two high-sensitive cTnI assays (hs-cTnI and PATHFAST) for blood serum samples, as determined by Passing-Bablok regression analyses. In our comparison of our new data with our older study, the TAT went down.
Conclusion:
The timeliness of laboratory results is, in addition to accuracy and precision, one of the key indicators of laboratory performance, and at the same time has a significant impact on the course of the patient's condition. It is therefore important that the laboratory strives to meet the expectations of clinicians regarding the time from the order to the result of the analysis.
