Performance of a semi-quantitative whole blood test for human heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP).
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the accuracy of visually reading the whole blood Rapicheck H-FABP panel test using the quantitative plasma H-FABP concentration as the reference.


METHODS
Consecutive patients with chest pain (n = 237) who were suspected of having acute myocardial infarction were recruited. The appearance of an evident test line within 5 min was given a grade of +3 (strongly positive), appearance within 15 min +2 (moderately positive) and the appearance of a weak test line within 15 min +1 (weakly positive).


CONCLUSIONS
The concordance rates were 91.8% for positive, 70.1% for negative and 80.2% for overall. Plasma H-FABP concentrations were above the cut-off value for 9.2% of negative (0) results. Fifty percent of weakly positive (+1) and 25.0% of moderately positive (+2) results had H-FABP concentrations lower than the cut-off value. All of the strongly positive (+3) were above the cut-off value. These results suggested that the false-positive and false-negative results of Rapicheck H-FABP were caused by over or underestimation in visual reading when the plasma H-FABP concentration was near the cut-off concentration.


CONCLUSIONS
Low accuracy of visual reading of Rapicheck H-FABP was due to poor estimation by manual reading around the cut-off value.
Hiura
Masahito
M
Department of Cardiology, Hirakata-City Hospital, Kinnya Honmachi 2-14-1, Hirakata/Osaka 573-1013, Japan. hhp01-hiura@kcat.zaq.ne.jp
Nakajima
Osamu
O
Mori
Toshizumi
T
Kitano
Katsuya
K
D000368:Aged; D000074026:Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000592:standards*
C493408:FABP3 protein, human; D000074026:Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic