Clin Chem Lab Med
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Comparative Study
Comparability of point-of-care whole-blood electrolyte and substrate testing using a Stat Profile Critical Care Xpress analyzer and standard laboratory methods.
Rapid technological progress in point-of-care testing allows the measurement of multiple analytes in whole-blood samples. The present study evaluated biosensor-based methods for the measurement of electrolytes and substrates in whole blood using a Stat Profile Critical Care Xpress (Nova Biomedical, Waltham, MA, USA) multiprofile analyzer and their comparability with standard laboratory methods. Because of the increased utilization of arterial blood samples in hospitalized patients and limited information on differences between arterial and venous blood for most routine laboratory tests, analytical differences caused by different sample types were evaluated. ⋯ The Stat Profile Critical Care Xpress multiprofile point-of-care analyzer provides rapid and accurate direct whole-blood measurement with acceptable performance compared to standard laboratory methods. The results obtained for electrolytes and substrates in whole blood were comparable to those for standard laboratory methods using arterial plasma or venous serum samples.