Evaluating the accuracy of point of care testing compared to standard laboratory testing among inborn infants in the neonatal intensive care unit

Objective Point-of-care (POC) testing offers expedited results with lower blood volume requirements than central laboratory (CL) tests, particularly beneficial for low-birth-weight infants. Methods A retrospective cohort of 118 patients with paired POC and CL tests was performed within one hour during the first 14 postnatal days. Differences and agreement were assessed using paired t-tests and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). Results Differences were observed between POC and CL measurements: sodium (6.0 mEq/L, CCC = 0.57), potassium (0.1 mEq/dL, CCC = 0.82), chloride (4.4 mEq/L, CCC = 0.70), glucose (3.5 mg/dL, CCC = 0.97), hemoglobin (-0.04 g/dL, CCC = 0.98) and hematocrit (-0.6%, CCC = 0.97). Differences were consistent across lab results, gestational ages, birthweights, and clinical factors. Conclusions POC results differed from CL results in sodium and chloride, with little difference in potassium, glucose, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. POC testing may reduce blood volume and provide rapid results for decision-making.