Rapid Troponin Analyzer Assists Heart Attack Diagnosis

A novel hand-held blood testing device delivers cardiac troponin I (cTnI) results in less than 10 minutes at the point of care (POC).

The Royal Philips (Philips; Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Minicare I-20 analyzer is based on proprietary magnotech biosensor technology, which measures target molecules in very low, picomolar concentrations using assay reagents contained in a disposable cartridge. A droplet of blood from a finger prick or venous whole blood tube can be applied directly on the cartridge; once applied, the blood is automatically drawn into the measurement chamber by capillary forces.

The entire assay process is carried out by the controlled movement of the magnetic nano-particles within the cartridge, a process that captures only those molecules that relate to the specific antibodies on the particles. The active magnetic assay control enables a precision normally associated with large laboratory analyzers, and multiplexing capabilities offer the possibility of simultaneously testing for multiple markers from the same droplet of blood.

The intuitive interface features incorporated fail-safes that guide the user throughout the entire process. In-built connectivity allows for direct transfer of the data to the laboratory or hospital information system (HIS) in order to update the patient electronic medical record (EMR). In addition, software upgrades are automatic using a remote service procedure, which reduces system down time.

“The Minicare I-20 is designed to help care providers reduce time to treatment and reduce time to discharge of patients, thereby helping to decrease crowding in the emergency department and leading to better use of hospital resources,” said Marcel van Kasteel, CEO of Handheld Diagnostics at Philips.

“Current guidelines for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction require blood test results of the biomarker cardiac troponin for the 90% of patients who present at the emergency department with chest pain, but are not diagnosed by an ECG,” said consultant chemical pathologist Paul Collinson, of St. George’s University Hospitals (London, United Kingdom) NHS Foundation Trust. “Blood samples are usually analyzed in the hospital laboratory, which can easily take more than an hour to get the result back to the ED physician. Point of care testing can significantly help to reduce the turnaround time.”

Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and troponin I (cTnI) are cardiac regulatory proteins that control the calcium mediated interaction between actin and myosin. The measurement of serum cTnI and cTnT is superior in terms of sensitivity and specificity to cardiac muscle enzyme measurements in the identification of cardiac muscle damage, and now accepted as the standard biochemical marker for the diagnosis of MI.

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Royal Philips
St. George’s University Hospitals