Validation of Nova Stat Profile Prime Plus point-of-care testing for dialysis in South Africa

Chronic kidney disease is a global health crisis, and delays in laboratory testing worsen outcomes. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has shown utility in various settings, but its performance at high creatinine levels seen in advanced chronic kidney disease is variable.

We evaluated the analytical and clinical performance of the Nova Stat Profile Prime Plus (SPP+) point-of-care analyser among patients on maintenance haemodialysis.

A prospective study was conducted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa. In phase one (01 June 2023 - 31 July 2023), precision, linearity, and accuracy of SPP+ were assessed using remnant patient samples. Blood gases, electrolytes, and metabolic parameters were compared with the GEM Premier 5000, while urea and creatinine were compared with the Roche cobas c702. In phase two (01 November 2023 - 31 December 2023), SPP+ was clinically validated among adults undergoing haemodialysis. Whole blood was collected pre- and post-dialysis to assess dialysis adequacy and the creatinine index.

In phase one, SPP+ showed acceptable precision (coefficients of variation 0% - 2.7%), linearity, and correlation (r > 0.90). Creatinine showed proportional bias (4.56% [0.33 - 8.80]) at higher concentrations. Among 51 haemodialysis patients (22 women, 29 men; aged 32-51 years), SPP+ showed 88.6% agreement for single pool Kt/V and urea reduction ratio. However, creatinine index agreement was low (34.3%, Cohen's kappa = 0.24, p < 0.0001).

Nova SPP+ was comparable to central laboratory analysis, though caution is needed at high creatinine levels, where central laboratory analysis remains the preferred choice.

This study provides the first South African data on POCT in haemodialysis. The analyser has demonstrated potential for monitoring, but performance concerns remain at high creatinine levels. The findings offer practical guidance for integrating POCT into advanced chronic kidney disease care in a resource-limited setting.