Stago has launched a simple test that will rapidly exclude heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) in just 10 minutes. Based on lateral-flow technology, the STic Expert HIT kit provides a quick and easy way of ruling out HIT, allowing clinicians to make faster, better-informed decisions for improved patient care.
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a potentially fatal complication of surgical heparin use, requiring rapid heparin withdrawal to avoid long-term damage, yet fewer than 10% of patients presenting with symptoms of HIT have their diagnosis confirmed by laboratory testing. A rapid and cost-effective test to rule out HIT will avoid the need for expensive heparin alternatives and reduce unnecessary risks to patients suffering from non-heparin-associated thrombocytopenia.
The STic Expert HIT kit from Stago is an IgG-specific exclusion test designed to identify antibodies directed against the heparin-PF4 complex. Each single-use test has been engineered to achieve excellent sensitivity with a negative predictive value of 100%, providing a viable alternative to current laboratory enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests, which can take up to three hours.