Evaluation of the Alere NT-proBNP Test for Point of Care Testing

Abstract

Background: The object of the study was to evaluate the Alere point of care NT-proBNP assay as a suitable alternative to the central laboratory method to provide short test turnaround times in primary care. Method: Blood NT-proBNP results obtained with the Alere assay (n = 100) were compared with serum NT-proBNP results analyzed by a Cobas 8000 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). Results: There was a good agreement between the two NT-proBNP methods when used as a rule-out test for heart failure (HF) and the cut-off value <300 ng/l. A total of 47 samples gave values <300 ng/L with both methods and 51 samples gave values >300 with both methods. Thus, there was an agreement for 98% of the samples. Conclusions: The study shows that the Alere NT-proBNP assay could be used in primary care permitting rapid NT-proBNP testing to rule out HF.