Point-of-care analyzers allow faster diagnosis, enabling healthcare providers to render better patient management and ensure optimized clinical outcomes. In-office HbA1c testing reduces the effort and time needed to sort, send, receive, and collate lab samples and reports. The DCA Vantage Analyzer from Siemens is a point-of-care CLIA-Waived immunoassay analyzer for diabetes management. It is suitable for diverse settings ranging from the physician’s office to remote, point-of-care coordinated sites in hospitals and multisite practices.

This FDA approved analyzer is designed to efficiently monitor glycemic control and detect early kidney disease. Capabilities include:

• Detection of HbA1c from a small (1 µL) whole blood sample in 6 minutes
• Detection of Albumin, Creatinine, and Albumin-to-Creatinine (A:C) ratio from a urine specimen in 7 minutes
• No sample or reagent preparation needed, allowing for simple and efficient operations

Self-contained cartridges facilitate easy, walk-away operation after sample loading. The advanced software of this advanced immunoassay analyzer enables dual reporting. This function allows the user to select primary and secondary reporting units to display and print test results. The primary reporting unit captures patient trend curves and transmits results to laboratory information systems or electronic patient records. Other key features of the DCA Vantage are:

• Storage capacity/memory of 4000 patient and/or control records and up to 1,000 operator IDs
• On-board computer with color touch screen display
• Bar-code scanner for safer and faster patient/operator ID entry
• Local storage capacity of up to 4,000 onboard records with powerful sorting capabilities
• Onboard GFR calculator indexes kidney function
• No sample or reagent preparation needed

The unit’s customizable security access modes support up to 1,000 operators, protect patient information, and prevent operation by unauthorized users. With advanced communication protocol, the device can automatically upload results and QC information to LIS/HIS to reduce manual logging and save time.

Reputable online lab equipment stores offer the Dca Vantage Analyzer at a great price. Leasing options may also be available.