Barnsley Hospital has recently installed Radiometer’s AQT90 FLEX analyser in its emergency department, where it is proving the key to rapid assessment of patients presenting with chest pain.
Dr Julian Humphrey (pictured right) explained: “Barnsley Hospital was one of the centres involved in the RATPAC trial that investigated point-of-care testing for a panel of cardiac markers on patients presenting with chest pain. During the trial, we noticed a significant difference in the number of patients we were able to discharge safely within four hours of arrival at the hospital, with fewer patients being admitted."
Dr James Griffiths (pictured left) continued: “Following RATPAC, we undertook further studies using Radiometer’s AQT90 FLEX, a closed system that is extremely easy to use; the sample tube is placed directly in the analyser, eliminating the need for further handling of samples and reagents. Low-risk patients undergo cardiac marker assessment on arrival and again at 90 minutes. If the test results and the accompanying ECGs are normal, they can be discharged within four hours, avoiding the 12-hour wait associated with the traditional troponin test. It’s better for the patient, and the benefit to the hospital is that it reduces admissions and relieves pressure on acute care beds.”
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