A clinician's experience of using the Cardiac Reader NT-proBNP point-of-care assay in a clinical setting

The evaluation of natriuretic peptides has become increasingly valuable in a clinical setting, where information is often needed promptly. Objectives: To compare the usefulness of the recently released Roche Cardiac Reader(R) NT-proBNP assay against the Roche Elecsy(R) NT-proBNP laboratory system in a clinical setting, Design and results: Blood samples from 440 patients, who were either admitted with acute coronary syndromes or worsening heart failure, or who were heart failure outpatients, were evaluated. The relation between the two assays was analysed and the diagnostic concordance calculated. A good correlation was found between the assays (r=0.96, 95% CI: 0.94-0.97) with a diagnostic concordance of 93%. A separate analysis was performed in the range where most clinical decisions are made (60-3000 ng/L), with a diagnostic concordance of 88%. The usefulness in a clinical setting where time is important was high. Conclusion: The Roche Cardiac Reader(R) NT-proBNP assay has been evaluated in a clinical setting. The point-of-care method shows good results, although with a restricted analytical range, compared with the reference. (C) 2008 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.