Abbott's handheld blood testing platform i-STAT Alinity gains CE mark

Abbott announced Wednesday that its handheld i-STAT Alinity system received CE mark. The device maker noted that the portable system "can perform and analyse the largest menu of blood tests on a single device, ranging from blood chemistries to cardiac markers, using only two to three drops" of  blood. 

According to Abbott, the system delivers results in two to 10 minutes, while its "advanced connectivity features allow testing to be conducted virtually anywhere."  Sharon Bracken, Abbott's vice president of Point of Care Diagnostics, remarked that "whether in emergency departments, critical care settings or rural areas, i-STAT Alinity allows clinicians to make timely and informed treatment decisions."

Specifically, the system features wireless or hard-wired connectivity, along with Cloud connectivity that uses a standard web browser, which Abbott said makes "it easy for health systems to customise multiple i-STAT Alinity instruments and provide seamless transmission of quality control data." Further, the company indicated that the system may in the future include new types of tests, such as those for brain injury, infectious disease and oncology. 

Abbott further noted that the system is the first of several next-generation instruments the company will launch as part of its "family of Alinity systems across point of care, immunoassay, clinical chemistry, haematology, blood and plasma screening and molecular diagnostics."