New Thermo Scientific B•R•A•H•M•S PCT direct blood test allows fast bacterial infection and sepsis diagnosis at patient's point of care

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Jul 17, 2018, 03:00 ET

The new B•R•A•H•M•S PCT direct point of care assay requires just one drop of blood for a reliable infection diagnosis and clinical decisions in the acute care setting within 20 minutes

HENNIGSDORF, Germany, July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The new B·R·A·H·M·S PCT direct point of care assay is designed to make procalcitonin (PCT) measurement available to acute care settings where easy handling, quick and precise results are required to support timely clinical decisions, in conjunction with other clinical findings. Compared with established automated B·R·A·H·M·S PCT laboratory assays the new B·R·A·H·M·S PCT direct assay shows a close analytical correlation with both venous and capillary blood and can therefore be applied in early diagnosis of bacterial infection and sepsis, in decisions whether or not to start antibiotics and for monitoring the antibiotic therapy. Moreover, its short total turnaround time of 25 minutes (20 minutes test performance and 5 minutes handling time) makes it five times quicker than sending the request to the laboratory¹. The B·R·A·H·M·S PCT direct assay requires just a drop of whole blood and is beneficial for patients where sample volume may be an issue.

"In the acute care setting, such as the emergency department, short decision processes and unplanned situations are the rule rather than the exception. The B·R·A·H·M·S PCT direct assay fits in very well and can provide a PCT test result in a quick, easy and precise way at any time at the point of care, even at the triage nurse room," said professor Pierre Hausfater, head of the academic emergency department at Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris, France.

"We are proud to launch this new version encompassing the proven B·R·A·H·M·S PCT assay quality in a format which enables easy, fast access to the established biomarker procalcitonin in various settings including the emergency room from just a simple fingerprick," said Christophe Fraudeau, vice president and general manager, Biomarkers, for Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Earlier identification of sepsis improves patient care and is the key to rational antibiotic use for reducing antibiotic resistances."

Early detection and diagnosis of sepsis is key for the improved outcome of patients with sepsis where every hour counts². Procalcitonin is considered the most reliable and specific biomarker for the early diagnosis of clinically relevant bacterial infections^3-6. The B·R·A·H·M·S PCT direct assay is independent from the laboratory service and can provide a reliable PCT test result near the patient, 24/7.

This product is not available for sale in the U.S. Availability of this product depends on the regulatory marketing authorization status in the countries where the product is sold. For more information, please see the following site: www.thermoscientific.com/procalcitonin.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

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