Evaluation of the Stratus CS fluorometer for the determination of plasma myoglobin

Abstract

Circulating myoglobin is recognized as an early and sensitive marker of acute coronary diseases. Long turnaround time of myoglobin assays jeopardize their clinical utility. We evaluated the analytical performance of the Stratus CS fluorometric enzyme immunoassay based on dendrimer technology, and claimed to achieve a fast and reliable determination of plasma myoglobin concentrations. Precision complied with the recommended analytical performance criteria. Method comparison and recovery experiments indicated, that despite good between-method correlations, the Stratus CS method overestimated myoglobin concentrations in comparison with values obtained on Cobas Integra 400 and BN A. However, since the manufacturers' cut-off for elevated plasma myoglobin levels was higher for Stratus CS than for other techniques, few discrepant results were observed between methods. Elevated levels of hemoglobin, triglycerides and rheumatoid factors did not interfere in the Stratus CS method but hyperbilirubinemia caused a positive difference.