Evaluation of fluorescence polarization immunoassay for quantitation of serum salicylates

A fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for serum salicylates that has been developed for use with the Abbott TDx analyzer is evaluated with regard to precision, accuracy, and stability of the standard curve. The FPIA method is also compared with a well-established high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique in a clinical laboratory environment. The FPIA demonstrates excellent precision, and the standard curve is sufficiently stable to perform reproducible measurements over a 29-day period without recalibration. Superior accuracy of the FPIA method is indicated for salicylate concentrations between 50 and 800 micrograms/ml by recovery studies and by favorable comparison with the reference method. The performance of the FPIA for salicylate concentrations between 0 and 50 micrograms/ml is somewhat less favorable and should be used with caution in this range. The present method is more appropriate than HPLC for the management of patients receiving chronic high doses of salicylates or in cases of acute salicylate overdose and is also more rapid.