Tarrytown, N.Y., May 18, 2012 – The FDA has cleared a lactate assay for the Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics RAPIDPoint® 500 Blood Gas System¹, giving point-of-care coordinators in the U.S. a new tool for assessing lactic acidosis. Frequently seen in critically ill patients, lactic acidosis—abnormally high acidity of the blood—has a number of potential causes, including shock, diabetes, liver disease and sepsis.²,³
The value of measuring lactate levels is expanding. Though generally considered a nonspecific biomarker, knowing lactate levels early in a patient’s presentation can provide valuable information and open a critical window for early intervention when treatment is most likely to be successful.4 Lactate testing can be particularly useful in intensive care and the emergency room, where the presentation of symptoms may be inconclusive.
Additionally, Siemens has launched the RAPIDPoint System mobile cart to help meet point-of-care customers’ growing need for mobile blood gas analysis solutions. The RAPIDPoint System mobile cart, which ships fully assembled, is for use with the company’s RAPIDPoint 400 and 500 blood gas analyzers. With predrilled holes and knobbed screws, the equipment’s design enables customers to easily mount a RAPIDPoint analyzer to the top of the cart, eliminating the need to use what is becoming increasingly diminished critical-care bench space.
For more information about Siemens’ RAPIDPoint Blood Gas Analyzers, please visit:
www.usa.siemens.com/rp500.
- Disclaimer: The products/features (mentioned herein) are not commercially available in all countries. Due to regulatory reasons their future availability cannot be guaranteed. Please contact your local Siemens organization for further details. Not available for sale in the U.S.
- Mizock BA, Falk JL. Clin Care Med. 1992; 20(1): 80-91
- Cohen and Woods’ classification adapted from Blackwell Scientific Publications. 1976
- Blomkalns AL. Lactate – A marker for sepsis and trauma. Copyright EMCREG-International, 2007. Available at http://www.emcreg.org/publications/monographs/acep/2006/alb_acep2006.pdf. Accessed 4/12/12.
Launched in November 2011, Agenda 2013 is a global initiative to further strengthen the innovative power and competitiveness of the Siemens Healthcare Sector. Specific measures will be implemented in four fields of action: Innovation, Competitiveness, Regional Footprint, and People Development.
About Siemens Healthcare
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 51,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2011 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 12.5 billion euros and profit of around 1.3 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.
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