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La Rivista Italiana della Medicina di Laboratorio 2019 Dicembre;15(4):243-51

DOI: 10.23736/S1825-859X.19.00030-6

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Novel diagnostic perspectives in the use of point of care systems: endocrine and metabolic diseases

Cettina DRAGO ¹ ✉, Renato TOZZOLI ²

¹ Centro Analisi Cliniche e Microbiologiche, Presidio Centro Cuore, Pedara, Catania, Italia; ² Laboratorio di Patologia Clinica, Ospedale S. Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italia

The use of point-of-care tests carried out with new devices and new technologies is rapidly growing in the field of in-vitro diagnostics, influencing the decision-therapeutic process and offering efficiency benefits in terms of the turnaround time. Rapidity is the main advantage of PoCT, but their use must be assessed critically and objectively. The range of tests performed with PoCT systems is extensive: it ranges from the basic measurement of blood glucose to complex coagulation measures, to molecular biology-based tests to detect infectious agents. Despite the wide diffusion of PoCT systems in different clinical areas, some disciplines still remain not involved, such as the endocrine and metabolic diseases, where the non-availability of PoCT tests slows down the decision-making process in critical situations. The aim of this review is to present a broad-spectrum view on the currently available tests, in order to delineate new diagnostic opportunities, sustainable in the PoCT field, thanks to reliable technologies within particular clinical areas. Inspired by a current methodological classification, a synthetic examination of analytical technologies leads to separate PoCT devices in 6 different groups, taking into account the practical use, the sensor characteristics, the complexity, the measurement mode, the analytical principle and/or the sample matrix. Finally, diagnostic and follow-up tests of endocrine and metabolic diseases (parathyroid hormone in hyperparathyroidism, cortisol in hyperaldosteronism, hemoglobin and glycated albumin in diabetes, antimullerian hormone in female infertility) are considered: these markers need PoCT instruments for novel clinical/therapeutic applications.

KEY WORDS: Point-of-care systems; Endocrine system diseases; Metabolic diseases