Diagnostic Digest

This article summarizes the findings of our “The Value of Preventing Acute Kidney Injury” Dossier, including the current burden of AKI for hospitals, where current risk assessment practices fall short, and how VIDAS® NEPHROCHECK® [TIMP-2 · IGFBP-7] from bioMérieux is designed to fill in the gaps.

The introduction of matrix‑assisted laser desorption/ionization time‑of‑flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‑TOF MS) marked a fundamental shift in how laboratories identify microorganisms, transforming workflows that once emphasized stepwise exclusion into ones driven by rapid, data‑rich pattern recognition.

Behind every diagnosis is a lab professional who made it possible, yet their expertise and dedication rarely get the recognition they deserve. And with the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, just trying to keep up can feel like a challenge.  

The AMR Pathways webinar series raises awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as an urgent global health challenge and highlights actions to reduce its burden. Through expert insights, real-world case studies, and practical strategies, the series equips participants to advance antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), drive meaningful change, and navigate evolving policy and diagnostic landscapes.

Vaginitis remains a leading cause of gynecologic-related primary care visits in the United States, yet the approach to diagnosis and treatment continues to present significant challenges for clinicians and public health professionals. Recent studies underscore persistent gaps in diagnostic testing and highlight the consequences for antimicrobial stewardship and patient outcomes.

Combining an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) with a 15-pathogen viral panel to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

This articles features a comparison of the performance of BIOFIRE^® SPOTFIRE^® Respiratory/Sore Throat (R/ST) Panel, Cepheid Xpert^® Xpress SARS-CoV-2/Flu/RSV, and Cobas^® SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B assay for detection of respiratory viruses.

In this article, we delve into the benefits of fast AST and explore why it has the potential to bridge the critical gap in BSI and sepsis management.

The Academic Emergency Medicine journal has published a study that investigates the effectiveness of a rapid (approximately 15–minute turnaround) 15-plex PCR respiratory panel in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected ARI. Below we summarize the key findings.

ICUs play an invaluable role in caring for patients. However, infections such as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a common problem, resulting in the frequent use and sometimes overuse of life-saving antibiotics in those settings. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics, even when utilized in intensive care environments, is contributing to the further emergence of resistant pathogens.

Diagnostics can be powerful tools for optimizing antimicrobial use, giving clinicians the information they need to ensure antimicrobials are prescribed only when needed, and at the right dose and duration.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global public health. Learn how syndromic testing promotes antimicrobial stewardship.