Abbott receives extended availability for i-STAT

Abbott Laboratories has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its i-STAT handheld blood analyser a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) waiver. make consistent

The i-STAT Chem8+ test cartridge will now be able to be used more readily outside the hospital environment following the FDA’s decision.

With an FDA waiver, the device is viewed to be sufficiently simple and accurate to be used by healthcare providers where fast results are needed.

Locations such as physicians’ offices, emergency departments, intensive care units and operating rooms will see the introduction of Abbott’s handheld blood analyser in order to obtain critical results rapidly and help monitor patient care.

Greg Arnsdorff, vice president of Abbott Point of Care, announced his delight over the FDA waiver, with the Chem8 = test cartridge the first i-STAT cartridge to receive a CLIA waiver.

“Taking advantage of i-STAT’s near immediate test results, more physicians will be able to provide their patients with treatment options in one visit, eliminating the cost and hassle of a second appointment.”

Last year, Abbott announced it was to market the i-STAT BNP cartridge, a new diagnostic test to help assess levels of congestive heart failure