Full Press Release Details
PRINCETON, N.J. , March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott announced today it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin marketing the i-STAT® 1 Wireless handheld, a new wireless version of the i-STAT® point of care testing system that is widely used in hospitals, emergency rooms and physicians' offices. The new i-STAT 1 Wireless handheld will allow real time transmission of diagnostic test results generated by i-STAT 1 directly from the patient bedside.
The handheld analyzer can potentially save precious time by allowing caregivers to perform critical tests at the bedside and then transmit test results immediately so they can be reviewed by physicians anywhere they have access to electronic records. Eliminating back-and-forth movement from the bedside to a desktop transmission terminal somewhere in the department gives staff the ability to better focus on the patient.
"With wireless, physicians can receive immediate test information in the electronic medical record, enabling them to act quickly when a patient's clinical status is rapidly changing," Arnsdorff said.
With the 10-minute i-STAT cardiac troponin test cartridge, for example, emergency department staffs can test, transmit and treat from the bedside. This helps health care providers maintain compliance with testing guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, which call for a turnaround time of less than 60 minutes. By sharing these test results via a hospital's existing wireless network, caregivers have rapid access to information that can help determine if a patient is having a heart attack.
The i-STAT 1 Wireless handheld is certified for compatibility with existing wireless networks. It is also is compatible with point-of-care data management systems used with earlier versions of the i-STAT System. The i-STAT 1 Wireless is the latest innovation from Abbott Point of Care, the U.S. market leader in bedside testing. The company offers the largest menu of diagnostic tests in a handheld platform and is used in nearly 2,000 hospitals in the U.S. and nearly 1,000 emergency departments.
About the i-STAT System
About Abbott Point of Care
Abbott Point of Care, headquartered in Princeton, N.J. , develops, manufactures and markets critical medical diagnostic and data management products for rapid blood analysis. The company's premier product is the i-STAT, a market-leading handheld blood analyzer capable of performing a panel of commonly ordered blood tests on two or three drops of blood at the patient's side.
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs nearly 90,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.
Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's website at www.abbott.com .