Thursday, February 12, 2009
Dr. Robert Sambursky of Rapid Pathogen Screening describes the benefits of their point-of-care diagnostic devices in a conversation with Dr. Carlos Buznego.
The RPS Adeno Detector is a rapid immunochromatographic test for visual, qualitative in-vitro detection of adenoviral antigens (hexon protein) directly from human eye fluid. The hexon protein is shared across all 51 serotypes of adenovirus. The test is intended for use as an aid in the rapid differential diagnosis of acute adenoviral conjunctivitis.
The diagnosis of Adenovirus infection has historically been made clinically (with an accuracy of only 40-70%). The Adeno Detector has a sensitivity and specificity that rival that of confirmatory cell culture and PCR methods (sensitivity = 89%), specificity = 94%).
The clinical significance of the increased ability to diagnose adenoviral conjunctivitis is multi-fold.
- preventing the spread of disease with early and accurate diagnosis
- increasing the clinical vigilance around specific adenoviral morbidities
- avoiding the over-prescription of antibiotics
- reducing cost of treatment
- diminishing the development of antibiotic associated allergies and toxicities
The true strength of this system may be that it is a CLIA-waved system. This enables it to be used by practically anyone in a clinical setting (primary care physicians, nurses, technicians).
Dr. Sambursky then demonstrates the use of the RPS Adeno Detector. It’s as simple to use as a pregnancy test and takes only 10 minutes to obtain a result. Reimbursement is via CPT code 87809QW and the cost of the each test is around thirteen dollars.