Elevating gastrointestinal diagnostics with the ULTRA-FAST UFT300 Helicobacter pylori Quick Test

Paula Pendry, Endoscopy Sister, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a common cause of several gastrointestinal disorders, including dyspepsia, peptic ulcers and atrophic gastritis. The rapid diagnosis of H. pylori infection is therefore key to timely treatment and can help to prevent the development of digestive diseases. In this blog Paula Pendry, Endoscopy Sister at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, explains how performing a highly sensitive, specific urease test during routine gastroscopy procedures can be crucial for streamlining the diagnostic and treatment pathways for H. pylori.

What is H. pylori and why is it so important?

H. pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that is believed to colonise the stomach of approximately half of the world’s population,¹ and approximately 30 per cent of individuals in the UK. Although the majority of colonised individuals are asymptomatic,¹ a significant number will develop an infection that causes inflammation and disruption to the protective mucus layer. This increases the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and also leaves sufferers more susceptible to a range of other digestive disorders. In fact, H. pylori infection is estimated to be responsible for 95 per cent of duodenal ulcers, 70-80 per cent of gastric ulcers,² and 90 per cent of atrophic gastritis cases.¹ Multiple studies also suggest that some more virulent strains of the bacterium can increase the risk of developing gastric cancer even further, if left untreated.³ The reliable, rapid detection of H. pylori could therefore be extremely helpful to clinicians, guiding them to prescribe appropriate eradication treatment as soon as possible – typically including a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics – and helping to prevent the onset of additional digestive diseases further down the line.

Making headway in H. pylori identification

Confirming the presence of the bacterium quickly can help to maximise the efficacy of treatments. H. pylori produces the enzyme urease in large quantities, and rapid urease tests (RUTs) represent a simple and cost-effective way of rapidly diagnosing H. pylori at the point of patient care during a gastroscopy procedure. This method is generally regarded as one of the most effective options for the diagnosis of H. pylori due to its high sensitivity and specificity, as well as its fast turnaround time in comparison to alternative culture or histology techniques. However, it can be challenging to monitor and standardise the time that tests are given to react, and this can create inconsistencies in how the assay is carried out, as well as possible inaccuracies in results. This highlights the need for a fast, practical and standardised RUT solution that endoscopists can test concurrently with gastroscopy to streamline the diagnosis or rule out this common bacterial infection in a timely manner.

Transforming gastrointestinal diagnostics and reporting

The , a ready-to-use RUT from BIOHIT HealthCare, is increasingly being adopted in healthcare settings. The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA), one of the largest NHS providers in the UK, is already reaping the benefits of this convenient testing alternative. The trust provides a comprehensive range of endoscopy services across all four of its hospital sites, and carries out approximately 40,000 procedures every year at all hospital campuses and several smaller clinics in the area, making it one of the busiest endoscopy networks in the country. Endoscopists at the NCA make the decision to carry out gastric biopsies during gastroscopies based on the presence of certain clinical indications, or when test results from primary care indicate the likelihood of H. pylori infection.

Practitioners routinely use the UFT300 Quick Test to confirm or rule out H. pylori infection using antrum and corpus mucosal biopsies while the patient is undergoing their gastroscopy procedure, with results available in just five minutes. This fast time to result greatly optimises staff time throughout the NCA by enabling nurses and endoscopists to confidently provide reliable results to individuals before they even leave the theatre, reducing any complications with paperwork and follow up. Patients can also commence eradication therapies immediately in the event of a positive result, and the test acts as a fast rule-out test, providing individuals testing negative with much-needed reassurance that they are not infected. Receiving results immediately also minimises waiting time for patients, reducing stress and inconvenience, and allowing them to go about their day as soon as possible after their examination.

Supporting healthcare with accurate diagnostic solutions

The trust’s Point of Care Testing team plays a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy, quality and consistency of results by handling the various aspects of compliance and governance surrounding the UFT300 Quick Test. As part of this, the team coordinates BIOHIT HealthCare’s annual training of key designated staff members, and ensures that this training is then disseminated to all other users in the trust. The endoscopy team also analyses control samples provided by BIOHIT HealthCare on a weekly basis to make sure that the test itself is performing as expected, and have maintained 100 per cent compliance. The UFT300 Quick Test offers high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity,² providing NCA clinicians with confidence in their results. This innovative assay provides the NCA with a standardised, efficient and consistent result reporting workflow, helping to remove any delays in turnaround time and treatment onset for improved patient experience and outcome at the trust.

Find out more about the ULTRA-FAST UFT300 Helicobacter pylori Quick Test.

References

1. Fisher L, Fisher A, Smith PN. Helicobacter pylori Related Diseases and Osteoporotic Fractures (Narrative Review). J Clin Med. 2020;9(10):3253. doi:10.3390/jcm9103253
2. Vaira D, Vakil N, Gatta L, et al. Accuracy of a new ultrafast rapid urease test to diagnose Helicobacter pylori infection in 1000 consecutive dyspeptic patients. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2010;31(2):331-338. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.04196.x
3. de Vries AC, van Grieken NCT, Looman CWN, et al. Gastric Cancer Risk in Patients With Premalignant Gastric Lesions: A Nationwide Cohort Study in the Netherlands. Gastroenterology. 2008;134(4):945-952. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2008.01.071