Beckman Coulter's New Procalcitonin Assay Helps Physicians Accurately Identify Patients at Risk for Progression to Septic Shock

- BREA, California, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Beckman Coulter, a global leader in clinical diagnostics, today announced the launch of Access PCT assay, the latest addition to its extensive menu for the Access Family of Immunoassay Systems. The state-of-the-art sensitivity and low-end precision of Access PCT assay combined with short incubation time, helps physicians assess the risk of patients progressing to severe sepsis or septic shock, helps physicians in the risk assessment of critically ill patients in danger of progression to severe sepsis or septic shock, with test results available in under 20 minutes. "Sepsis is a life-threatening systemic inflammatory response to infection. Despite advances in modern medicine, it remains the primary cause of death from infection, affecting 26 million people, and resulting in an estimated 5.3 million deaths worldwide each year1,2," said Jeannine Holden, M.D., chief medical officer, Beckman Coulter. "Procalcitonin levels in blood have been found to correlate with the severity of bacterial infections and also with the probability of a positive blood culture, making it a clinically useful marker in the assessment of patients with possible sepsis or septic shock. The ability to rapidly diagnose suspected sepsis patients and determine appropriate care and treatment is critical, as earlier administration of antibiotics is highly correlated with increased patient survival." The launch of Access PCT follows the recent release of the Early Sepsis Indicator, a unique hematological marker available on Beckman Coulter's DxH900 Hematology Analyzer as a part of the routine CBC with differential analysis. "Our partners count on Beckman Coulter to provide a broad menu of solutions that matter in the treatment of the most prevalent and costly health conditions. We are proud to offer the industry's most extensive portfolio of in-vitro diagnostic testing for sepsis identification and management across multiple disciplines, including clinical chemistry, immunoassay, microbiology, urinalysis and hematology," said Puneet Sarin, senior vice president and general manager for Beckman Coulter's chemistry and immunoassay business. "Access PCT is a key component in the fight against sepsis and a testament to our ongoing investment in developing the tools physicians need to enhance patient care by enabling them to know sooner and act faster. In the fight against sepsis, every minute counts." Access PCT enables healthcare providers to integrate procalcitonin testing analysis into their routine sepsis workups on core laboratory analyzers, as a primary or reflex test programmed though Beckman Coulter's REMISOL Advance middleware. Such integration simplifies laboratory workflow and optimizes institutional sepsis management protocols while reducing the operation expense of maintaining costly dedicated instrumentation. The new Access PCT assay recently received CE mark certification and is available for use on the Access Family of Immunoassay Systems including the Access 2, UniCel DxI 600 and UniCel DxI 800. For more information regarding the Access PCT assay, visit www.BeckmanCoulter.com/AccessPCT. About Beckman Coulter DiagnosticsBeckman Coulter is committed to advancing healthcare for every person by applying the power of science, technology, and the passion and creativity of our teams to enhance the diagnostic laboratory's role in improving healthcare outcomes. Our diagnostic systems are used in complex biomedical testing, and are found in hospitals, reference laboratories and physician office settings around the globe. Beckman Coulter offers a unique combination of people, processes and solutions designed to elevate the performance of clinical laboratories and healthcare networks. We do this by accelerating care with a menu that matters, bringing the benefit of automation to all, delivering greater insights through clinical informatics and unlocking hidden value through performance partnership. An operating company of Danaher Corporation since 2011, Beckman Coulter is headquartered in Brea, Calif., and has more than 11,000 global associates working diligently to make the world a healthier place. 1 Sepsis Alliance. "Critical Fact Sheet." Sepsis.org. Accessed January 15, 2018.2 Angus DC, van der Poll T. "Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock." N Engl J Med, vol. 369. 2013, pp. 840-51. © 2019 Beckman Coulter. All rights reserved. Beckman Coulter, the stylized logo, and the Beckman Coulter product and service marks mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Beckman Coulter, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/525815/Beckman_Coulter_Logo.jpg