Becton Dickinson Launches Assay for Determining COVID-19 Patients’ Risk of IMV and Mortality at Hospitalization

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) has announced the CE mark of BD Multitest 6-Color TBNK Reagent with BD Trucount Tubes with expanded clinical application to help clinicians identify COVID-19 patients at increased relative risk of intubation with mechanical ventilation (IMV) and mortality at hospital admission, in conjunction with clinical findings and the results of other laboratory testing.

The BD Multitest 6-Color TBNK Reagent with optional BD Trucount Tubes is a CE marked 6-color direct immunofluorescence reagent for use with a suitably equipped BD flow cytometer to identify and determine the percentages and absolute counts of T, B and natural killer (NK) cells, as well as the CD4 and CD8 subpopulations of T cells in peripheral blood. As shown in peer-reviewed clinical studies, some patients with COVID-19 may exhibit a decrease of specific lymphocyte T-cell subsets (CD4+ and/ or CD8+ T-cells), and this decrease is associated with increased risk of IMV and mortality. Knowing a patient’s accurate T-cell count, therefore, can be instrumental in informing the right course of action, and the BD Multitest 6-Color TBNK Reagent with BD Trucount Tubes may aid in these types of determinations.


Early publications showed that the BD Multitest 6-Color TBNK Reagent with Trucount Tubes was useful in assessing immune status for COVID-19 patients. Further clinical studies have demonstrated clinically validated cut-off levels and further refined the role BD Multitest 6-Color TBNK Reagent with Trucount Tubes has along with other testing in determining the COVID-19 patients’ risk of IMV and mortality at hospitalization. By providing deeper understanding of immune responses, clinicians can better understand an appropriate course of action for patients while also prioritizing the use of precious hospital resources.

“The BD Multitest 6-Color TBNK Reagent with BD Trucount Tubes assay’s new claim related to risks of IMV and mortality may help clinicians better determine an appropriate course of action for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, which is a top priority for this population,” said Puneet Sarin, worldwide president of BD Biosciences. “BD Biosciences has a long history of helping clinicians and patients understand immune function, and this new indication may help guide important care decisions while also prioritizing resources.”

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