Capabilities of compact analyzers for decentralized testing of lipids and lipoproteins

Advances in compact analyzer technology have provided the capability to move laboratory testing to the patient, the bedside, the physician office, wellness sites and even into the home. The future has arrived in the sense that lipid testing can be performed in a simple manner similar to blood pressure testing with results immediately available to facilitate treatment decisions. The realities of access and utilization as well as the rate of future technology developments will be determined to a large degree by government regulatory and reimbursement decisions.