Enhanced blood gas analysis at the point of care

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has launched the RAPIDPoint 500 blood gas system, its latest cartridge-based point-of-care (POC) analyser for critical care testing.  Available worldwide, the RAPIDPoint 500 system uses proven Siemens technology to ensure reliable results and reduce downtime, while also offering new features designed for ease of use at the point of care.

The demand for POC testing is growing in the hospital setting.  Clinicians rely increasingly on critical care tests, such as blood gas analysis, to deliver fast, accurate results in order to guide important treatment decisions. Given the wide variety of clinicians that use these tests, POC analysers need to be ready to use and easy to operate so that hospital staff are not slowed down with complex operating procedures and maintenance tasks.
 
Easy to use, proven and reliable
“The RAPIDPoint 500 system is designed to satisfy the special demands of testing at the point of care,” said Hilda Crockett, business manager for point of care at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics.  “In addition to being easy to use, the analyser utilises proven and reliable cartridge-based technologies to deliver fast, accurate, laboratory-quality results, helping clinicians feel confident in making critical decisions that impact patient lives.”

With results available in approximately 60 seconds, the RAPIDPoint 500 analyser offers a comprehensive menu of critical care tests for pH and blood gases, electrolytes, glucose and lactate, and full CO-oximetry, including neonatal total bilirubin and total haemoglobin, all from a single whole-blood sample. Additionally, the measurement cartridges last up to 28 days and contain a full complement of tests, which reduces downtime.