PA-100 AST System: bringing the power of laboratory testing to the doctor’s office [1]
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the most common bacterial infections and one of the driving causes of antibiotic prescription worldwide [2,3] so why should it take days to wait for diagnostic results? Diagnosis of UTIs remains a clinical challenge [4], since most general practitioners prescribe with the patient in front of them while making a clinical diagnosis – it’s an informed guess backed by local and national guidance [1].
Now, the PA-100 AST System brings the power of laboratory testing into the doctor’s office and minimises waiting times [1] with AST (antibiotic susceptibility testing) at the point of need.
Key benefits of the PA-100 AST System
- Enhanced clinician confidence: Make informed treatment decisions based on accurate, timely results [5] directly at the point of need.
- Rapid AST, accurate analysis: Get UTI test results and targeted antibiotic prescription in 45 minutes.
- Personalised treatment: Identify the most effective antibiotic for each patient, minimising the risk of antimicrobial resistance. [6]
- Improved patient outcomes: Has the potential to prevent the development of chronic or severe UTIs and lower potential treatment failure by reducing ineffective empiric treatment [5].
Rethinking routine UTI testing and boosting diagnosis confidence [1]
When it comes to the diagnosis of urinary tract infection, symptoms remain the cornerstone, with urine cultures only being necessary when empirical treatment fails, recurrent UTI symptoms are present or when antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is suspected [7].
While lab-based tests for UTIs are accurate, they can cause significant delays to diagnosis. Serious infections are time sensitive and often their treatment must proceed without urine culture results [6]. In the case of less serious infections, delaying treatment while waiting for these results potentially leads to infectious disease spreading or associated complications [6].
A prospective, non-interventional study compared PA-100 AST System outcomes to clinical decisions and found that the overall frequency of optimal treatment could have been significantly higher when the PA-100 AST System was used compared to clinical decision [5].
For everyday infections like UTIs, the opportunity of a near-patient testing device provides a unique tool to select antibiotics tailored to each infectious episode. Watch the video to learn more.
PA-100 AST System ends ‘just-in-case prescribing’ of antibiotics for UTI treatment [1]
The PA-100 AST System replaces the current 2–5-day laboratory testing process by simply adding a urine sample to the cartridge in the PA-100 AST System. The PA-100 AST System detects the presence of a bacterial infection in just 15 minutes, and the antibiogram is completed within 45 minutes [1].
A prospective, non-interventional study compared clinical decisions to PA-100 outcomes and concluded that the PA-100 AST System could have enabled rapid initiation of the correct targeted treatment, thus significantly improving the treatment of patients with UTI [5].
Watch this video to learn how the PA-100 AST System empowers clinicians to provide better care for patients.
Reduce hospitalisation with effective UTI treatment [1, 9]
In addition to better clinical outcomes for the patient, prevention of more serious conditions preserves resources for the health system [1]. Effective UTI treatment from the outset prevents patients from going on to develop complicated urinary tract infections or urosepsis.
Dr Brown, Consultant Medical Microbiologist at Cambridge University Hospitals says, “Giving the right antibiotic as quickly as possible improves patient outcomes, not only in terms of the time it takes for symptoms to get better, but in terms of rare but significant complications like sepsis and hospital admissions [1].”
Using the PA-100 AST System is this easy
- Simple to use: Minimal sample handling wherein native urine is pipetted into the sample cartridge. No sample pretreatment needed.
- Rapid analysis: The device analyses the sample for bacteriuria, then identifies the most suitable antibiotic within 45 minutes.
- Targeted treatment: Provide patients with the right antibiotic for their infection, ensuring effective treatment and promoting antimicrobial stewardship.
Get the full product details on how the PA-100 AST System is guiding the future of antibiotic treatment
We’re honoured to have won the Longitude Prize on AMR
Challenge Works, a social enterprise that delivers challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good, launched the Longitude Prize on AMR to create the urgent ‘pull’ needed to tackle one of the biggest global health challenges of our lifetime [8]. The Sysmex PA-100 AST System was deemed a valuable test because it is accurate, easy-to-use and affordable. “Awarding the prize to this technology marks a turning point in which clinicians can be better equipped to diagnose and treat patients,” said Michael Corley, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
There are seven reasons we won the prize. Want to read about them? Click here.
Learn more about near-patient testing solutions
References
[1] Challenge Works - Longitude Prize on AMR (2024): Implementing Rapid Diagnostic tests for UTI in the UK healthcare system
[2] Tomlinson E, Jones HE, James R, Cooper C et al. (2024): Clinical effectiveness of point of care tests for diagnosing urinary tract infection: a systematic review Clin Microbiol Infect 30(2):197-205
[3] Pujades-Rodriguez M, West RM, Wilcox MH, Sandoe J (2019): Lower Urinary Tract Infections: Management, Outcomes and Risk Factors for Antibiotic Re-prescription in Primary Care EClinicalMedicine 14:23-31
[4] Claeys KC, Blanco N, Morgan DJ, Leekha S et al. (2019): Advances and Challenges in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections: the Need for Diagnostic Stewardship Curr Infect Dis Rep 21(4):11
[5] Alonso-Tarrés C, Benjumea Moreno C, Navarro F, Habison AC, et al. (2024): Bacteriuria and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing in 45 min by point-of-care Sysmex PA-100 System: first clinical evaluation Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 43(8):1533- 1543
[6] Challenge Works - Longitude Prize on AMR (2020): The long read - We must do better for UTI patients
[7] Wagenlehner F, Nicolle L, Bartoletti R, Gales AC et al. (2021): A global perspective on improving patient care in uncomplicated urinary tract infection: expert consensus and practical guidance J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 28:18-29
[8] Challenge Works (2024): Longitude Prize on AMR
[9] Gihan Hamdy Elsisi, Hanan Saady Zaky & José Medina Polo (2024): Budget impact analysis on the use of Sysmex PA-100 AST system as a point of care for uncomplicated urinary tract infections detection and treatment in Spanish females Journal of Medical Economics, 27:1, 1434-1443