Performance of point-of-care diagnostics for glucose, lactate, and hemoglobin in the management of severe malaria in a resource-constrained hospital in Uganda.
Document Type
Article
Department
Paediatrics and Child Health (East Africa)
Abstract
Severe malaria is frequently managed without access to laboratory testing. We report on the performance of point-of-care tests used to guide the management of a cohort of 179 children with severe malaria in a resource-limited Ugandan hospital. Correlation coefficients between paired measurements for glucose (i-STAT and One Touch Ultra), lactate (i-STAT and Lactate Scout), and hemoglobin (Hb; laboratory and i-STAT) were 0.86, 0.85, and 0.73, respectively. The OneTouch Ultra glucometer readings deviated systematically from the i-STAT values by +1.7 mmol/L. Lactate Scout values were systematically higher than i-STAT by +0.86 mmol/L. Lactate measurements from either device predicted subsequent mortality. Hb estimation by the i-STAT instrument was unbiased, with upper and lower limits of agreement of −34 and +34 g/L, and it was 91% sensitive and 89% specific for the diagnosis of severe anemia (Hb < 50 g/L). New commercially available bedside diagnostic tools, although imperfect, may expedite clinical decision-making in the management of critically ill children in resource-constrained settings.
Publication (Name of Journal)
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
DOI
10.4269/ajtmh.13-0689
Recommended Citation
Hawkes, M.,
Conroy, A. L.,
Opoka, R.,
Namasopo, S.,
Liles, W. C.,
John, C. C.,
Kain, K. C.
(2014). Performance of point-of-care diagnostics for glucose, lactate, and hemoglobin in the management of severe malaria in a resource-constrained hospital in Uganda.. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 90(4), 605-608.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_fhs_mc_paediatr_child_health/392
Comments
This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University.