POC Blood Tests for Bili Levels

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

I'm curious to hear if any of you guys perform Point of Care (POC) bili testing in your units (blood tests, not transcutaneous bilimeters).

It drives me nuts when we're using an I-Stat to check blood gases and lytes on a micro-preemie, then we have to draw a whole additional microtainer to get a bili to send to the lab. For reference, a microtainer bili requires a 0.5 mL sample, whereas an I-Stat cartridge requires

I looked online and found an article about a POC bili blood test for use in the NICU, but I can't find any other info about it.

Medscape: Medscape Access

From the article, it sounds as though this analyzer also has the capacity to measure blood gases and lytes. Does anybody have experience with this product?

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

I'm an agency nurse so I travel to a few different NICUs in my area. I've never seen any of the NICUs do this but I would LOVE if they did. I worked in a Level III NICU for nearly 3 years before becoming an agency nurse and we didn't even do the TCB in my unit. I saw this done for the first time last weekend when I worked my first shift at a new hospital. It was awesome not to have to poke a baby to get a bili level. I wish they had POC for all kinds of tests!

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

@kschenz, I think the reason many units don't use TCBs is that they're not as accurate as blood tests. From what I understand, they're primarily used as screening tools, and they're much more common in newborn nurseries than in NICUs.

I wish there was a better way to advocate for more POC testing, especially when it's the less invasive option. Unfortunately, I think that the cost of new technology is probably the biggest barrier for most units.