Speed, convenience, and cost are driving innovation in the global point-of-care market. Chris Troyanos knows his place among marathoners. For more than four decades, he’s walked the delicate line between love and hate, acting as the yin to runners’ yang, the moon to their sun. He’s friend and foe wrapped in one—a prize to some, a persona non grata to others. Troyanos, 62, owns Sports Medicine Consultants Inc., a 23-year-old Plymouth, Mass.-based firm that provides medical management, onsite medical care, and volunteer recruitment services for large-scale athletic events. A certified athletic trainer, Troyanos has coordinated and supervised medical coverage for dozens of sizable races throughout the United States and Canada, including the grueling 26.2-mile Boston Marathon. Coordinating medical coverage for New England’s most widely viewed sporting event is quite the undertaking: Besides preparing for almost any running-related injury (shattered femurs, included) Troyanos also supervises 1,700 volunteer clinicians and the 28 medical tents along the eight-town route. The job requires some mastery of psychology as well, since no sprinter really wants to see Troyanos on race day. “Runners need to understand what their limitations are and not try to push them,” Troyanos told Boston Magazine last month. “Boston has a tendency for people to want to do their best. We get that. But if you’re aware of your body’s limitations and how you’re feeling and don’t push that, the likelihood is you’re not going to see us in the medical tent.” Sound advice for sure, but Troyanos will likely always have company in the tents, thanks to a bipolar Mother Nature and an incredibly strong human spirit. Both forces have detoured droves of marathoners in recent years, forcing them to retreat under heated blankets or in ice baths, or to rejuvenate themselves via Gatorade or a bag of potato chips. This year’s casualty count was down from past races, despite the meteorological mayhem that ensued throughout the day (a bit of everything: clouds, wind, rain, lightning, sun). The Boston Athletic Association reported that 2,095 runners received medical attention along the route, with 950 of those participants undergoing treatment after the finish line and 77 runners eventually transported to area hospitals. Most of the injuries sustained during the race were minor (blisters, cramps, dehydration, hypothermia), though the sun’s unexpected appearance generated a rash of heatstroke victims within a two-and-a-half-hour period. “[When the] sun came out, all of a sudden [there were] probably about 30 or 40 exertional heat strokes on the course and in this tent,” Troyanos divulged to WBZ-TV (CBS) after the April 15 race. “That’s pretty significant. Those are very serious illnesses. We handled them well, everyone is doing great.” To ensure such a favorable prognosis, Troyanos used a handheld blood analyzation system from Abbott that produces lab-quality results within minutes from virtually any location. The company’s i-STAT technology measures 26 different analytes (substances in the body), including cardiac markers, gases, chemistries/electrolytes, coagulation, lactate, and hematology, from just two to three drops of blood. First released in 1992, the i-STAT system is designed specifically for use at various points of care—from radiology and emergency departments to the intensive care unit and the operating room. More than 75,000 i-STAT systems are currently in operation, according to Abbott, with one in three U.S. hospitals employing the device to increase efficiency and quality of care. The technology, however, has become fairly prevalent outside the hospital too—the paradigm shift to value-based healthcare has helped propel the i-STAT’s spread to outpatient clinics, doctor’s offices, long-term care facilities, emergency services vehicles, and rural institutions. The U.S. and Indian governments have used the device as well. Athletic trainers and sporting event coordinators are perhaps the i-STAT system’s biggest fans, as the tool—evidenced by its presence at the Boston Marathon and numerous Abbott World Marathon Majors races—has helped legions of competitors return to play quicker than they would with conventional treatment. “Without this portable tool, these runners showing signs of severe dehydration or hypernatremia would likely be transported to the hospital for diagnostic tests and follow up,” said Dr. Paul Jarvis, director of global medical affairs for Abbott’s point-of-care (POC) diagnostic business. “The fact that we can bring diagnostics right to the runner’s side is truly the power of [the i-STAT]. It’s wonderful for runners to have access to a tool like this that can help with very quick treatment. The power to finish the race is priceless. It’s a big win for runners.” It’s also been a big win for Abbott…

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• Diagnostics

• MPO

• 6/1/2019

• Article