Firm Unveils Device That Tests Blood.When a doctor needs to do a blood test to make a diagnosis, it usually takes at least 24 hours to send the sample to an outside lab. But a new product launched by Culver cul·ver n. A dove or pigeon. [Middle English, from Old English culufre, from Vulgar Latin *columbra, from Latin columbula, diminutive of columba, dove.] City-based Careside Inc. could change all that. The spin-off of SmithKline Beecham Clinical Labs has developed the CareSide Analyzer. The device is designed to provide results within 15 minutes on 36 of the most commonly ordered blood chemistry tests, including scans involving blood coagulation Noun 1. blood coagulation - a process in which liquid blood is changed into a semisolid mass (a blood clot) blood clotting clotting, coagulation, curdling - the process of forming semisolid lumps in a liquid , glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides Triglycerides Fatty compounds synthesized from carbohydrates during the process of digestion and stored in the body's adipose (fat) tissues. High levels of triglycerides in the blood are associated with insulin resistance. and protein. In addition, the analyzer is compact enough to keep in a doctor's office, so shipping of blood to outside labs for these tests might no longer be necessary. The device retails for about $10,000. By comparison, large diagnostic machines used in labs for similar testing that can cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. "It's an obvious improvement when it comes to patient care," said Careside Executive Vice President Grant Frazier. "A doctor can draw blood and quickly render a diagnosis, instead of sending a patient home and have them worry about getting a call the next day." The Food and Drug Administration has approved the device for use at all "point-of-care" health care organizations, which include nursing homes and ambulances as well as traditional doctors' offices. Company officials estimate that the range of tests offered by the analyzer could cover about 60 percent of the blood work done by a typical hospital laboratory. The Dark Report, a journal that monitors medical laboratory systems, notes that the analyzer may prompt a fundamental change in the way diagnostic test results are provided. "Laboratory executives and pathologists should understand that this type of point-of-care testing point-of-care testing Lab medicine The analysis of clinical specimens as close as possible to the Pt, including bedside, ward–unit, or 'stat' regional response labs that service specified areas–eg, the ER or ICU technology is revolutionary," according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the report. "Careside is the first to market with its solution, but others will follow. During the next 24 months, this will become a highly competitive field. The cumulative effect of pushing routine testing closer to the patient will be the end of centralized cen·tral·ize v. cen·tral·ized, cen·tral·iz·ing, cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To draw into or toward a center; consolidate. 2. clinical laboratories as we know them today." Since Careside was listed on the American Stock Exchange American Stock Exchange (AMEX) Stock exchange in the U.S. Originally known as “the Curb,” it began as an outdoor marketplace in New York City c. 1850. It moved indoors to its present location in the Wall Street area in 1921. in mid-July, the stock has been jumping in spurts. News about the launch of the blood analyzer sent company stock soaring last week, from $7.13 on Dec. 27 to $8.75 on Dec. 29 |
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