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Triage® Cardiac Panel: Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Triage® Cardiac Panel measure?
The Triage Cardiac Panel rapidly tests for three cardiac markers, CK-MB, myoglobin and cardiac troponin I, which are released into the blood over different time intervals when an AMI occurs.
How can use of the Triage Cardiac Panel affect patient care?
Annually, six million chest pain patients visit the emergency rooms in the United States.1 Two to 13 percent of AMI patients are incorrectly diagnosed and are inappropriately sent home.3 Failure to diagnose can contribute to increased mortality, morbidity, and malpractice litigation. Over-diagnosis can also be problematic, as it may drive unnecessary admissions and higher economic costs. The Triage Cardiac Panel may enable physicians to diagnose (rule-in) or exclude (rule-out) an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) more quickly, thus allowing them to make earlier and better decisions about patient care.
How might the Triage Cardiac Panel revolutionize the way heart attacks are diagnosed?
The Triage Cardiac Panel may dramatically speed the diagnosis of heart attacks by providing physicians with rapid, actionable cardiac marker results. The test has already spurred the development of diagnostic algorithms based on frequent, serial marker testing. In some cases, the physicians behind these algorithms have been able to reduce the time required for diagnosis by up to 78 percent. The continuing evolution of and broader use of such algorithms, therefore, could substantially improve diagnostic times and thus enable better use of aggressive early intervention therapeutics.
Is the Triage Cardiac Panel better than conventional tests for AMI?
Current ACC/AHA guidelines recommend that diagnosis of chest pain patients be based on the evaluation of an electrocardiogram (ECG), review of patient history and measurement of cardiac markers. According to a large, prospective, multi-center study, it was found that CK-MB and myoglobin were most efficient for the early diagnosis of myocardial infarction, whereas troponin markers were highly cardiac-specific and were particularly efficient for the late diagnosis of myocardial infarction.2 The Triage Cardiac Panel is the only available diagnostic test that enables frequent quantitative testing of three cardiac markers at the point of care. Studies have demonstrated that frequent monitoring of cardiac markers used in conjunction with rapid care algorithms can improve diagnosis of chest pain in the emergency department and accelerate rule-in or rule-out of heart attacks.
Do you have additional support services? If so, what are they and whom do I call to access them?
Biosite’s Encompass™ program, short for Ensuring Comprehensive Assistance, is a portfolio of value added services that help our customers evaluate, implement and optimize our products as an integrated component of healthcare delivery. For more information, or to access an Encompass service, U.S. Customers should contact their local Biosite Account Executive by calling Customer Service at 1-877-441-7440.
The Encompass roster services includes:
- 24/7 Technical Services hotline
- Training and Education: teleconferences
- Evaluation support: data analysis, comparison report, technical consultation
- Product training/support: technical consultants, technical services, troubleshooting
- Clinical training: seminars, teleconferences
- CME, CE programs available
- Consulting services
- CLIA audit reports, six-month mock audits, audits on request
- Outcomes tracking: establishment of objectives, measurement, assessment
- POC reimbursement: informational seminar, feasibility analysis, implementation
- Connectivity: information management, LIS/HIS interfacing
For additional information on how Biosite can assist your institution in evolving to a point-of-care approach to diagnosis, please contact Technical Support at 1-877-441-7440.
How can I reach Technical Service if I have any product questions?
Biosite provides Technical Product Support at 1-877-441-7440 and is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. For international customers, please send your inquiries via email to imi.customercare@invmed.com.
How do I order the Triage® Cardiac Panel?
For U.S. hospital customers, call Inverness Medical Customer Support at 1-877-441-7440 or order directly from the HealthCare Market Division of Thermo Fisher Scientific Company. Fisher provides Customer Service (orders, invoice questions, shipping) with assistance available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. (800-640-0640), www.fishersci.com.
For U.S. physician office customers, contact one of Biosite’s authorized POL distributors:
- Affiliated Medical 1-800-522-0092
- Cardinal Health 1-800-444-5440
- Diamed 1-800-587-6531
- Henry Schein 1-800-772-4346
- Infolab 1-800-647-8222
- Kreisers 1-800-843-7948
- Labsco 1-800-888-5227
- McKesson 1-800-446-3008
- PSS 904-332-3000
For International customers, the product should be ordered through the assigned international distributor or Biosite sales office. Please click here for the list of Biosite sales offices and international distributors.
How will products be shipped?
Fisher will ship domestic product through dedicated logistics, small package carriers (UPS, Fedex, etc) and LTL carriers. The product characteristics and customer requirements are utilized to determine “best way” routing and delivery method.
How can I request a copy of the Quick Reference Guide?
Please call Technical Product Support at 1-877-441-7440, available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. For international customers, please send your inquiries via email to imi.customercare@invmed.com.
How do I contact my Biosite Account Executive?
You may call Customer Support at 1-877-441-7440.
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