AdvanDx's PNA FISH Tests To Identify Bloodstream Pathogens In Hours Versus Days

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Also Included In: Medical Devices;  Blood / Hematology
Article Date: 24 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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AdvanDx, Inc. announced that the Lee Memorial Health System has implemented AdvanDx's rapid, molecular-based PNA FISH tests that provide rapid identification of bloodstream pathogens in hours instead of days, enabling labs to quickly report critical information to physicians and pharmacists to ensure optimal therapy and help reduce death rates for patients afflicted with bloodstream infections.

Every year, 350,000 patients acquire bloodstream infections in the U.S. resulting in more than 90,000 deaths and significant costs to the healthcare system. Conventional diagnostics methods can take several days and often causes physicians to administer broad antibiotic or antifungal coverage that are potentially ineffective, toxic, expensive or even unnecessary. Ineffective and inappropriate therapy contributes to increased mortality, morbidity, length of stay, overall hospital costs and in the long run to increased antibiotic resistance.

"AdvanDx's easy-to-use PNA FISH tests facilitate the rapid identification of the infecting pathogens, which is crucial to ensuring early, appropriate and effective therapy to improve patient outcomes," said Philip Onigman, Director, AdvanDx, Inc. "The Lee Memorial Health System is the first major hospital system in South Florida that will leverage these rapid tests to optimize antibiotic therapy and improve patient care. This is important, as many hospitals still use conventional diagnostic methods that are often too slow to impact patient care. With PNA FISH, labs can now report results within hours instead of days and provide the critical information physicians need to guide patient care as early as possible," said Onigman.

Lee Memorial's adoption of AdvanDx's products demonstrate how leading-edge hospitals can succeed when they implement rapid diagnostics as an integral part of antibiotic and patient management, where the lab, physicians and pharmacists work together, leveraging rapid diagnostics, to tailor appropriate therapy for specific infections and, as a result, improve antibiotic management, reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, improve patient care and outcomes, and maintain control over drug and hospital costs.

About Lee Memorial Health System

Lee Memorial Health System, with more than 1,600 licensed beds and more than 8,000 employees, provides hospital services in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and southern Lee County. Lee Memorial Health System is the leading provider of health care in Southwest Florida and has served the citizens of Lee County and surrounding communities since 1916. The System is a member of Voluntary Hospitals of America, Florida Partnership; the Florida Hospital Association; Association of Voluntary Hospitals of Florida and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

About AdvanDx, Inc.

AdvanDx is the world's leading provider of fast, easy-to-use molecular diagnostic products that rapidly and accurately identify infectious pathogens, enabling dramatic improvements in patient outcomes while reducing operating costs for hospitals and medical centers.

Every year, 350,000 patients contract bloodstream infections, causing over 90,000 unnecessary deaths and significant costs to the U.S. healthcare system. The rapid identification of the infecting pathogens is crucial to ensure early and appropriate therapy to save lives and cut costs. In response, AdvanDx leverages its easy-to-use PNA FISH™ (Peptide Nucleic Acid Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) and EVIGENE™ companion product suites to detect and identify infectious pathogens and provide therapy-directing results in hours versus days. EVIGENE products are available for in vitro diagnostic use in the European Union and for research use only in the United States.

AdvanDx products have been shown to reduce: intensive care unit mortality due to S. aureus related bloodstream infections, median hospital costs of $19,441 per patient and significantly reduce unnecessary antibiotic therapies and prescriptions. 1

AdvanDx's products are designed to be easy-to-use, work with standard lab equipment to reduce startup, implementation, technician and maintenance time, and provide fast results without sacrificing accuracy. Customers include: the Cleveland Clinic, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the University of Maryland Medical Center and Detroit Medical Center. AdvanDx has formed partnerships with bioMérieux and others to provide its products and services to hospitals worldwide.

http://www.AdvanDx.com

1 Ly et al. "Impact Upon Clinical Outcomes of Translation of PNA FISH Generated Laboratory Data From the Clinical Microbiology Bench to Bedside in Real Time." SHEA 2007. Baltimore