一種新型病床旁邊的檢驗方法(免除了樣本從病房到實驗室的傳送過程 ，point-of-care，POC)檢測方法不久將進行臨床試驗，該檢測方法無需禁食或者抽血，而只要檢測皮膚中固醇的含量（也被稱作皮膚組織膽固醇，是反應冠狀動脈疾病的指標）。

該系統稱作Prevu(x) POC，是由兩種檢測方法發展而來：“Prevu(x)皮膚固醇試驗LT”是一種在實驗室進行的檢測，使用醫療級別的粘合劑，利用正在申請的裝置從手掌采集皮膚細胞樣本。然后將該設備送入實驗室檢測皮膚固醇；第二種方法稱作Prevu(x) PT，是一種單次使用、三分鐘完成的家用檢測方法。這兩種檢測方法都是由國際醫療創新公司(International Medical Innovations, Inc., IMI, Toronto, Canada; www.imimedical.com)研制成功的。

即將進行的多中心臨床試驗，包括600例計劃進行冠狀動脈血管造影檢查的患者，以及100例年齡、性別匹配的作為對照的健康者。試驗將在加拿大的多個地方進行，包括蒙特利爾心臟研究所。患者將接受兩個系統的檢測。同時也將采集空腹血清標本進行傳統危險因子的檢測。

“Prevu(x) POC是一種非侵入性的檢測方法，能夠當場獲得結果。這將使得該系統能夠有效鑒別出那些患冠狀動脈疾病風險較高的患者，冠狀動脈疾病是心臟病發作的頭號病因，”蒙特利爾心臟研究所臨床研究主任、蒙特利爾大學醫學副教授Jean-Claude Tardif醫生指出，“Prevu(x) LT系統對操作者而言則更加簡單，如果能夠獲得批準，將使得皮膚固醇檢測能夠得到更廣泛的使用。”Tardif醫生是該研究的首席研究員。

Skin Sterol Test in Trial
 
A new point-of-care (POC) test soon to be in a clinical trial does not require fasting or drawing of blood but tests for the amount of sterol in the skin, also known as skin tissue cholesterol, as an indicator of coronary artery disease.

Called the Prevu(x) POC, the system has been developed in two test formats. The Prevu(x) Skin Sterol Test LT, a lab-processed test, samples skin cells from the palm of the hand, using a patent-pending device with medical-grade adhesive. The device is then sent to a lab where the surface is assessed for skin sterol. The second version is a single-use, three-minute home test, called Prevu(x) PT. Both were developed by International Medical Innovations, Inc. (IMI, Toronto, Canada; www.imimedical.com).

The multicenter trial, which will involve 600 patients scheduled for coronary angiography and 100 healthy age- and gender-matched controls, will be performed at multiple sites in Canada, including the Montreal Heart Institute. Patients will be tested on both systems. A fasting serum sample will also be taken and tested for traditional risk factors.

“Prevu(x) POC is noninvasive and delivers results quickly, which makes it a potentially effective tool to help identify patients who are at higher risk of coronary artery disease--the number one cause of heart attack,” noted Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, director of Clinical Research at the Montreal Heart Institute and associate professor of medicine at the University of Montreal. “Prevu(x) LT is even simpler to administer, and, if proven successful, will make skin sterol testing even more widely available.” Dr. Tardif is the principal investigator in the study.