In emergency situations, it is critical for doctors to know the pregnancy status of women who are of childbearing age as soon as possible, since this influences decision-making when it comes to medications, imaging, surgery and other clinical care.

Traditionally, clinicians rely on urine-based pregnancy testing, but collecting a sample from a woman in an emergency setting can be difficult, especially if she is dehydrated, in pain or even unconscious. However a simple new blood test can rapidly and accurately help detect the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone that is usually used to determine whether a woman is pregnant.

The test, which received US Food and Drug Administration clearance (FDA; Silver Springs, MD, USA) can detect if a woman is in the early stages of pregnancy by measuring very low levels of hCG in blood on a handheld, portable blood analyzer. By using two to three drops of blood, the test can provide high-quality results at a person's bedside within 10 minutes. Unlike urine testing, the test can measure hCG in whole blood or plasma and by providing results quickly, the test can streamline a doctor's decision-making process, which can be vital in emergency situations.

The i-STAT Total β-hCG test (Abbott Point of Care; Princeton, NJ, USA) not only provides qualitative results that determine whether hCG hormone is present in the blood, but also quantitative results that specify the amount of hCG present. This information may help identify how far along a woman is in pregnancy while potentially reducing false-negative results by being more sensitive. This is important as data have shown that urine pregnancy tests are susceptible to false-negative results.

In addition to the USA, the blood test is available in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. It is fully compatible with the handheld i-STAT 1 System and the i-STAT 1 Wireless System, which are already used in nearly 60% of US hospitals to help improve care.

Sharon Bracken, vice president of Abbott's Point of Care Diagnostics unit, said in a statement, “In today's health care environment, clinicians are faced with a growing number of people who are seeking care. Abbott's β-hCG blood test serves as a new tool to help physicians determine pregnancy status quickly and accurately, right at the bedside, to help provide quality treatment.”

Related Links:
US Food and Drug Administration
Abbott Point of Care