Test for Cardiac Marker Launched

A cardiac test for heart-failure diagnosis and disease management has been launched that provides doctors with quick results, helping them to reach rapid treatment decisions in life-threatening situations.

The proBNP test identifies a key cardiac marker called NT-proBNP (n-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide). The test can be used to diagnose chronic as well as acute heart-failure patients. It was developed by Roche Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) and is available on the company's Cardiac reader system. The test provides results in only 12 minutes and shows high correlation to the Elecsys proBNP assay of Roche's Central Lab solution, crucial for point-of-care (POC) assays. Roche is currently the only company to offer both through-put NT-proBNP testing through a central lab as well as in POC settings.

The test supports the detection of mild or early forms of heart failure, enabling the early identification of high-risk patients, even in a doctor's office. It also facilitates quick treatment decisions in acute situations, such as patients with severe shortness of breath in the emergency room, by providing diagnostic information directly on the spot.

"I am proud that we are able to offer a quick and easy-to-use point-of-care test for heart failure diagnosis that enables healthcare professionals in hospitals, as well as in the general practitioner setting, access to fast diagnostic results,” said Dr. Guiseppe Minola, head of Roche's Near Patient Testing, a business area of Roche Diagnostics. "Patients will profit from faster diagnosis and treatment decisions, based on the health information provided.”

Roche's Cardiac reader analyzer allows the quantitative determination of the cardiac markers troponin T, myoglobin, D-dimer, and now NT-proBNP from a single whole blood sample.




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