Point-of-care testing improves care timeliness in the emergency department. A multicenter randomized clinical trial (study POCTUR).

Objectives: Emergency department (ED) crowding is a widespread problem that positions patients at risk. The desire to improve the ED throughput requires novel approaches. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has emerged as useful technology that could contribute to create more efficient patient flow and better timeliness in the ED.

Circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells may be a useful biomarker in the follow-up of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients after hospitalization.

SARS-CoV-2 infection is the cause of the disease named COVID-19, a major public health challenge worldwide. Differences in the severity, complications and outcomes of the COVID-19 are intriguing and, patients with similar baseline clinical conditions may have very different evolution. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been previously found to be recruited by the SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be a marker of clinical evolution in these patients.

Complete laboratory diagnosis of Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome.

The definition of Insulin autoimmune syndrome includes the presence of high levels of blood insulin and insulin autoantibodies. We encountered a 45-years-old white man with a high insulin serum value that do not fit with the C-peptide result. To discard or to confirm an analytical interference and diagnose a possible Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome we performed the following investigations: dilution linearity test, heterophilic antibody blocking, polyethylene glycol precipitation, measurements with alternative assays, and gel filtration chromatography by size exclusion.

Evaluation of health outcomes after the implementation of rotational thromboelastometry in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background: Viscoelastic tests (rotational thromboelastometry, ROTEM), together with the implementation of a specific algorithm for coagulation management in cardiac surgery, enable perioperative coagulopathy to be better controlled.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study including 675 patients who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The incidence of allogeneic blood transfusions and clinical postoperative complications were analyzed before and after ROTEM implementation.

Emergency severity level-3 patient flow based on point-of-care testing improves patient outcomes.

Background: Overcrowding of the Emergency Department is rapidly becoming a global challenge and a major source of concern for emergency physicians. The desire to improve Emergency Department throughput requires novel approaches to patient flow.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective and cluster-randomized study, to evaluate the impact in patient outcomes of a new patient flow based on Point-of-Care Testing (POCT).

Midregional proadrenomedullin safely reduces hospitalization in a low severity cohort with infections in the ED: a randomized controlled multi-centre interventional pilot study.

Introduction: The midregional fragment of proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is known to provide accurate short-, mid- and long term prognostic information in the triage and multi-dimensional risk assessment of patients in the emergency department (ED). In two independent observational cohorts MR-proADM values identified low disease severity patients without risk of disease progression in the ED with no 28 days mortality that wouldn´t require hospitalization. In this interventional study we want to show that the combination of an MR-proADM algorithm with clinical assessment is able to identify low risk patients not requiring hospitalization to safely reduce the number of hospital admissions.

Comparison of automated devices UX-2000 and SediMAX/AutionMax for urine samples screening: A multicenter Spanish study.

Objectives: In this study we aim to compare UX2000 (Sysmex Corp, Japan) and SediMAX/AutionMax (Arkray Factory Inc., Japan), totally automatized analyzers, against Fuchs-Rosenthal counting chamber, the gold standard technique for sediment analysis.

Design And Methods: Urine samples of 1454 patients from three Spanish hospitals were assessed for red and white blood cells (RBC; WBC) using three different techniques: flow cytometry, image-based method and Fuchs-Rosenthal counting chamber.

Evaluation of Bio-Rad D-100 HbA1c analyzer against Tosoh G8 and Menarini HA-8180V.

Objectives: To evaluate the Bio-Rad D-100®, an HPLC analyzer for glycated hemoglobin (HbA) determination, and to compare its performance with the Menarini HA-8180V® and Sysmex G8®.

Methods: Method comparison was performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) EP9-A2 guidelines. We selected 100 samples from the routine laboratory workload and analyzed them in duplicate with the three analyzers.

Evaluation of a HbA1c point-of-care analyzer.

Objectives: A better glycemic monitoring of diabetic patients and avoiding complications of poorly controlled diabetes could be possible with point-of-care testing technology (POCT) for HbA1c determination. B-Analyst® was studied to check whether it complied with the quality requirements for this purpose.

Design And Methods: We evaluated the B-Analyst® (Menarini Diagnostics), which is based in the principle of latex agglutination immunoturbidimetry, to assess the validity of the technique of HbA1c.

Evaluation of two HbA1c point-of-care analyzers.

Background: Measurement of HbA1c is the most important parameter to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. Different point-of-care devices for HbA1c are available. The aim of this study was to evaluate two point-of-care testing (POCT) analyzers (DCA Vantage from Siemens and Afinion from Axis-Shield).