085 - Point of care testing for cardiac markers
Autor(s): M. Caputo
Issue: RIMeL - IJLaM, Vol. 2, N. 1, 2006 (MAF Servizi srl ed.)
Page(s): 85 - 89
Point of care testing is going to have a major impact on patient care, so much so in critical areas such as cardiac diseases. The introduction of the first devices to help bedside diagnosis of cardiac disease dates back to early 1990s; fully quantitative dedicated analyzers, equally usable in the main lab and when a stat capability is required are more recent. Cardiac troponins are the first choice for the detection of ischemic injury; a multi-marker strategy, including high sensitivity C-reactive protein, Brain Natriuretic Peptide and myoglobin is proposed to better define risk stratification. Time will tell if this approach, coupling faster TATs with excellent analytical performances is doomed to be the best practice in this pivotal healthcare segment.