Fast On-Site Chemistry Testing with the Piccolo Xpress
Discover the novel technology that allows this state-of-the-art, testing platform to provide lab-quality results at the patient’s bedside
26 Oct 2016
Editorial article
The Piccolo Xpress uses a novel disc system to perform 31 different chemistry tests
The Piccolo Xpress® is a portable blood analysis system that allows healthcare providers to perform routine multi-analysis chemistry panels using 0.1 cc of whole blood, plasma or serum.
Complete chemistry testing
The Piccolo offers 31 tests in total, and 16 complete chemistry panels including a Comprehensive Metabolic panel, Lipid Panel, Kidney Check and Renal Function Panel.
The system uses a series of disposable, single-use, reagent discs, containing panels of tests. When the test sample is introduced into the disc, the reactions occur in tiny cuvettes located on the edge of the disc.
A novel method
The chemistry reagents are freeze-dried into precise, dry, micro-beads, each of which is the exact mass required for the chemical reaction to take place when the sample is introduced.
At the start of the run, microfluidics are used to centrifuge and separate the plasma, calibrate the instrument, perform quality control on the disc, mix the diluted plasma, rehydrate the reagent beads and monitor up to 28 enzymatic reactions.
Most laboratory photometers use only a single wavelength per measurement, but the Piccolo Xpress generates powerful flashes of full-spectrum white light and measures absorption for each reaction on nine different wavelengths, from ultra violet to near-infrared.
Learn how Olympic athletes improve performance using the Piccolo Xpress
Faster, more efficient healthcare
The Piccolo Xpress is incredibly versatile, with a wide range of CLIA waived tests to increase on-site diagnostic capabilities. With a 12 minute test time, the Piccolo Xpress allows healthcare providers to diagnose and treat patients during a single office visit, an urgent care assessment or monitoring of chronic conditions. Immediate decisions can be made using the results provided by the analyzer, enabling clinics and wards to offer powerful diagnostic capabilities, in a very small footprint.