Comparison of Abbott COVID-19 testing Platforms for timely results- CMCVAMC experience

Abstract

Introduction/ObjectiveCOVID-19 is a new disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus capable of causing severe disease and death. The Alinity-m has a high throughput and random-access features that are not on the Abbott m2000, both of which had been validated and brought into clinical use for high throughput SARS-CoV-2 testing. The additional features of Alinity-m would be expected to improve turnaround time; however, there are no published reports in the English literature comparing the turnaround time between the Abbott m2000 and Alinity-m.Methods/Case ReportA retrospective quality assurance search for all SARS-CoV-2 tests performed on the Abbott m2000 and Alinity-m (both Chicago IL) between February 1st 2021 to March 1st, 2021, to capture the turnaround time differences for the Abbott m2000 versus the Alinity-m for the month after the Alinity-m was brought into clinical service after validation.Results (if a Case Study enter NA)There was a total of 318 tests performed on the Abbott m2000 and 1329 tests performed on the Alinity-m during this time period. The average turnaround time on the Alinity was 6 hours, compared with 11 hours on the Abbott m2000. This difference was statistically significant by the t-test (p-value = <0.01). Both the optimized throughput and random-access features of the Alinity-m contributed significantly to this improvement.The Alinity-m is capable of producing results within 115 minutes for the first specimen and then 3 minutes for each sequential specimen. On the other hand, the Abbott m2000 must be batched in limited 8-12 hour runs without random access capability. All the results were reported and communicated to the clinical teams, so the timely patient management can be administrated and surveillance of the same can be done in real time.ConclusionAlinity M has a significant advantage for a random access as well as improved TAT for detection of SARS-CoV-2, leading to prompt patient care and management.