Value Add

Piccolo Xpress Chemistry Analyser from USA comes to India

It is a near patient testing instrument for critical care

Anand Brothers, New Delhi a leading company in the field of diagnostic kits and equipment has launched Piccolo Xpress Chemistry Analyser from Abaxis Inc, USA. It is a near patient testing instrument for critical care and emergency for blood chemistries, electrolytes and blood gas (tCO2).

The advance technology and full automation of the system ensure exceptionally fast, easy and accurate results, comparable to the best of any other automation in chemistry testing The products are FDA approved and the company is ISO certified for Good Manufacturing (GMP). ABAXIS also received the 2007 Medical Design excellence award.

Piccolo xpress is a compact, portable clinical chemistry system designed for on-site patient testing. Roughly the size of a shoebox, healthcare providers use the easy to follow color touch screen commands to perform routine multi-chemistry panels. 0.1cc of whole blood, serum or plasma is added directly to the patented 8-cm diameter single use plastic disc containing the liquid diluent and dry reagents. The disc is placed in the analyser drawer where centrifugal and capillary forces are used to mix the reagents and sample in the disc. The Piccolo xpress monitors the reagent reactions simultaneously using nine wavelengths, calculates the results from the absorbance data and reports the results. The Piccolo xpress self-calibrates with each run and the on-board continuous intelligent Quality Control (iQCT) monitors the analyser, reagent reactions and sample to ensure chemistry and instrument integrity. This assures you the highest quality and accuracy in results. Results are ready in approximately 12 minutes with a 'hard copy' report suitable for the patient file or transferred to a computer, printer or a Laboratory Information System (LIS) or Electronic Medical Record (LIS/EMR). This enables you to rapidly obtain critical diagnostic information at Point-Of-Care (POC). The easy-to-use, maintenance-free system requires no special training to operate.

On the Spot Lab Results (Even in field testing):

With the Piccolo xpress you can perform the most commonly requested chemistry panels using 0.1cc of whole blood, serum, or plasma and get accurate results in approximately 12 minutes.

Built-in intelligent quality control meets Clinical Laboratory

Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and The National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) requirements for daily control testing.

• Panel results are printed on an adhesive-backed paper that can be easily applied to patient charts or transferred to a data management system.
• On-board calibration eliminates manual testing.
• CLIA waived liquids, liver enzymes and glucose monitoring.

Be Confident in Every Test Result

Meticulous Quality Control (QC) is essential for accurate test results. Which is why the Piccolo Xpress, uses 'intelligent QC' (iQC), a unique process that monitors the analyser, the reagents disc and the sample during each run to verify correct electronic and chemistry performance. iQC automatically suppresses any single chemistry test or the entire panel if the analyser electronics or optics, reagent stability, chemistry reactions, sample integrity or compliance to the procedural steps are compromised. Error codes or messages immediately alert the operator to any problems. iQC performs hundreds of QC checks automatically and simultaneously with every disc run. iQC works from start to finish ensuring that each test run is absolutely accurate. 0.1 cc of whole blood, serum, or plasma is inserted directly into the reagent disc, where samples preparation occurs automatically. All reactions, including analyte, reagent and instrument QC testing, occur in solution within tiny cuvettes on the periphery of the disc. The Piccolo xpress generates powerful flashes of full-spectrum white light and measures absorption for each reaction at multiple wavelengths. To ensure accurate results, iQCverifies that composition and delivery within the disc of all substances involved in the chemical reactions. It validates the performance of the light-generating and detection components of the analyser and audits the conversion of the light absorbance into digital values for use in mathematical algorithms.

Reagent disc and iQC work flawlessly together:

• iQC verifies the integrity of the bar code information on the disc (disc identification code, lot number and expiration date), eliminating the possibility of using expired reagents.
• Calibration information is automatically transferred to the analyser's memory for accurate calculation of results.
• Disc specific information is stored along with the system QC data in the analyser's memory for easy reference.

Single-use reagent discs make testing easy and reduce operator errors

The reagent disc is composed of three injection-molded plastic parts which are ultrasonically welded together and contain all the diluent and dry reagents necessary to perform a panel of tests. The layers form the cuvettes, chambers, and passageways in which the fluids are processed. The top protective layer of the disc also provides bar-coded calibration information, the type of test panel, lot number and the expiration date, eliminating time-consuming, error-prone manual reagent calibrations and the possibility of using expired reagents.