April 30--Abbott Laboratories has received regulatory approval for a hand-held blood-based pregnancy test to be used during emergencies, the company said Thursday.
The test, approved by the FDA last week, is especially useful for women who are unable to do a urine-based test because they are dehydrated, in pain or unconscious, Abbott spokeswoman Rachael Jarnagin said.
"In an emergency situation if a woman is unconscious and they can't get a urine sample, getting a blood result right by her side is invaluable," Jarnagin said. "There are other pregnancy blood tests, but ... they'd have to get the blood and then send it out to the lab for results."
Abbott's test is the only one that can give pregnancy results at the bedside, Jarnagin said. In 10 minutes the test device, not much larger than a video game controller, can tell if a woman is pregnant and how far along she is based on a few drops of blood. The test can detect pregnancy at about three weeks.
The pregnancy test has been available outside of the U.S. since 2013, including Canada, Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
ehirst@tribpub.com
