Background: Oncology patients have frequent venipunctures, which causes scarring, making subsequent draws difficult and painful. Novel blood collection systems may decrease discomfort in patients experiencing repeat blood draws.
Methods: Oncology outpatients (n = 101; criteria excluded 12) were recruited to determine their preference for either of two blood collection systems, the 23-gauge standard BD Vacutainer Push Button Blood Collection Set (Standard Push Button system) or the 25-gauge BD Vacutainer UltraTouch Push Button Blood Collection Set (UltraTouch Push Button system).
Background: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 serological responses may have a vital role in controlling the spread of the disease. However, the comparative performance of automated serological assays has not been determined in susceptible patients with significant comorbidities.
Methods: In this study, we used large numbers of samples from patients who were negative (n = 2030) or positive (n = 112) for COVID-19 to compare the performance of 4 serological assay platforms: Siemens Healthineers Atellica IM Analyzer, Siemens Healthineers Dimension EXL Systems, Abbott ARCHITECT, and Roche cobas.
Background: Cardiac troponin (cTn) is the keystone for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined the analytical and clinical diagnostic characteristics of the ACCESS hsTnI assay in a United States (US) population.
Methods: All measurements and studies were conducted using a lithium heparin matrix.
Background: How to select healthy reference subjects in deriving 99th percentiles for cardiac troponin assays still needs to be clarified. To assist with global implementation of high sensitivity (hs)-cardiac troponin (cTn) I and hs-cTnT assays in clinical practice, we determined overall and sex-specific 99th percentiles in 9 hs-cTnI and 3 hs-cTnT assays using a universal sample bank (USB).
Methods: The Universal Sample Bank (USB) comprised healthy subjects, 426 men and 417 women, screened using a health questionnaire.
Background: Cardiac troponin (cTn) is the keystone for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined the analytical and diagnostic accuracy of the Atellica IM TnIH assay to determine high-sensitivity performance and appropriate diagnostic performance for clinical use.
Methods: Sex-specific 99th percentile upper reference limits (URLs) were determined for a healthy cohort of 1007 women and 1000 men using non-parametric statistics.
Background: High-Sensitivity (hs) cardiac troponin (cTn) assays are categorized by two criteria: (i) cTn values above the limit of detection (LoD) for >50% of male and female healthy cohorts of ≥300 individuals; (ii) imprecision ≤10% total %CV for sex-specific 99th-percentile clinical decision values (CDVs). No documented hs-Tn assay has yet been FDA-cleared.
Methods: The PATHFAST cTnI-II assay's LoD was 2.
Background: Detectable levels of cardiac troponins are common in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), even in the absence of symptomatic cardiovascular disease. Abnormal cardiac troponin values are associated with coronary artery disease and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and predict poor clinical outcomes. Elevated levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) contribute to LVH in CKD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomarkers typically evolve from a research setting to use in clinical care as evidence for their independent contribution to patient management accumulates. This evidence relies heavily on knowledge of the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical characteristics of the biomarker's measurement. For the preanalytical phase, considerations such specimen type, acceptable anticoagulants for blood samples, biologic variation and stability of the biomarker under various conditions are key.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Quantification and comparison of high-sensitivity (hs) cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and cTnT concentrations in chronic kidney disease (CKD) have not been reported. We examined the associations between hs cTnI and cTnT, cardiovascular disease, and renal function in outpatients with stable CKD.
Methods: Outpatients (n = 148; 16.
Background: BNP and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) concentrations may be depressed in patients with increased body mass index (BMI). Whether increased BMI affects accuracy of these biomarkers for diagnosing decompensated heart failure (HF) and predicting outcomes is unknown.
Methods: We measured BNP and NT-proBNP in 685 patients with possible decompensated HF in a free-living community population subdivided by BMI as obese, overweight, and normal weight.
Background: Galectin-3 is a carbohydrate binding protein that plays many important regulatory roles in inflammation, immunity and cancer. Recent studies indicate that galectin-3 is a mediator of heart failure development and progression. Development of an improved assay for galectin-3 measurement was necessary for appropriate clinical assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Performance characteristics of the LOCI cTnI, CK-MB, MYO, NTproBNP and hsCRP methods on the Dimension Vista System were evaluated.
Design And Methods: Imprecision (following CLSI EP05-A2 guidelines), limit of quantitation (cTnI), limit of blank, linearity on dilution, serum versus plasma matrix studies (cTnI), and method comparison studies were conducted.
Results: Method imprecision of 1.
Objectives: Current therapeutic drug monitoring methods for sirolimus require a manual pre-treatment step and batch analysis. We describe and validate a no-pretreatment, random access sirolimus assay for the Dimension RxL clinical chemistry system from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.
Design And Methods: Whole blood samples from renal transplant patients prescribed sirolimus were analyzed by the LC-MS/MS reference method, Abbott IMx and Dimension RxL methods in accordance with CLSI recommendations.
Cardiac troponin T level predicts a gradient risk for death in patients using hemodialysis. We used cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to determine whether an asymptomatic increase of troponin T in patients using hemodialysis is associated with subclinical myocardial infarction (MI). Twenty-six patients using long-term hemodialysis (49 +/- 12 years of age, 19 men, 8 diabetics) with left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction >40% and no known coronary artery disease were selected based on a low-risk troponin T level =0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Therapeutic drug monitoring for tacrolimus is important for organ transplant patients receiving this immunosuppressant. Current available assays for tacrolimus require sample pre-treatment and operate in a batch mode. Here a no-pretreatment tacrolimus assay, performed on the Dade Behring Dimension analyzer is compared to the Abbott IMx tacrolimus assay and to an LC/MS/MS method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiac tropoin I (cTnI) measurements show an approximately 20- to 40-fold difference between assays, and better standardization and harmonization are needed. Toward this goal, the AACC cTnI Standardization Committee collaborated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in an earlier study to select 2 candidate reference materials (cRMs).
Methods: Two troponin cRMs, a troponin C-troponin I-troponin T (CIT) complex from human heart tissue and a CIT complex from recombinant technology, were supplied to NIST for assessment of composition and purity, and cTnI value assignment.
Many new technologies are being applied to measure blood glucose concentrations, but there is a lack of a standardized approach to evaluate performance of these devices. We sought to identify the key elements in evaluating the performance of devices for measuring blood glucose. We examined these elements in a multicenter study of four brands of glucose meters that are commonly used by diabetic patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Therapeutic monitoring of lithium is important because of its narrow therapeutic range and therapeutic index, low protein binding and single route of elimination. We characterized a new photometric method that avoids the specialized requirements of ion-specific electrode (ISE), atomic absorption and flame emission methods.
Methods: Minimum detectable concentration (MDC), linearity and calibration drift over 65 days were determined.