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Urine Trinder spot test: a rapid salicylate screen for the emergency department
J A King1, A B Storrow, J A Finkelstein
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Study Objective:
To determine whether the urine Trinder spot test, performed by emergency physicians, is a sensitive bedside screen for salicylates.
Design:
Prospective, blinded human protocol with subjects serving as their own controls.
Setting:
Urban Level I medical center.
Participants:
Ten male and two female volunteers with negative urine toxicologic screen results before the start of the study.
Interventions:
Each participant ingested 975 mg of nonenteric coated aspirin. Serum and urine samples were collected before ingestion and 2 and 4 hours after ingestion. Three emergency physicians and a toxicology technician independently performed Trinder spot tests. Results were recorded as positive or negative for salicylate on the basis of color change (a purple reading was considered positive).
Results:
All postingestion urine specimens were detected by all testers with 100% sensitivity. Two false positives occurred in the preingestion samples. Serum quantitative assays confirmed the presence of salicylates in all postingestion specimens.
Conclusion:
This pilot study suggests that emergency physicians can use the Trinder spot test as a sensitive bedside salicylate screen, potentially saving time and quantitative assay expense.