bioMérieux’s rapid diagnostic shortens length of stay for patients
bioMérieux is helping to reduce the time spent in community hospitals for patients with meningitis and encephalitis, potentially life-threatening infections of the central nervous system.
When patients come to a community hospital and have a suspected case of meningitis or encephalitis, they are, after a cerebrospinal fluid sample has been taken, administered empirical treatment—an antibiotic, antiviral or antifungal cocktail. However, in community hospitals, microbiology labs have limited resources, and microbial culture is often the only diagnostic option available for cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
A culture-independent method is the preferred way to identify a viral infectious agent and to confirm the pathogen-specific diagnosis in a timelier manner. If a viral pathogen is suspected, a cerebrospinal fluid analysis must be conducted by an external lab, which inevitably results in delays, clogging an already overloaded system.
In response, bioMérieux’s FilmArray® is a rapid diagnostic system that with one test and in one hour, can report the presence of fourteen different potentially pathogenic microorganisms, including the infectious agents most frequently and most importantly responsible for community-acquired meningitis and encephalitis.
The Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (Barrie, Ontario) recently assessed the potential effects of implementing FilmArray® technology in its facility. The study demonstrated that the quick and easy-to-use FilmArray® system reduced the time to diagnose the cause of the meningitis/encephalitis syndrome, and, in turn, shortened the length of stay by an average of thirty-six hours per patient, saving money and reducing strain on human resources. This technology could also be a vital tool for teams monitoring and improving antibiotic usage in the hospital setting.
For more information: https://biomerieuxinnovation.ca/en/filmarray-diagnoses-meningitis-and-encephalitis-faster-for-the-royal-victoria-regional-health-centre/