Abstract
Triage DOA (Sysmex Corporation) has been used to date in tertiary emergency centers, in carrying out simple drug screening from urine samples. In November, 2010, a urinalysis kit INSTANT-VIEW M-I (TFB Inc.) became available domestically. Accordingly, a comparative study of both kits was carried out at our institute based on the outcomes of drug analyses. The subjects were cases in which it was determined that examination was necessary at the time of initial treatment for emergency room, where urine sampling was possible, during approximately 8 months from December 28th, 2010 to August 30th, 2011. Triage DOA and INSTANT-VIEW M-I tests were carried out, and drug analysis using Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer and Liquid Chromatography - tandem Mass Spectrometry was carried out in the forensic medicine department of our university on 45 cases observed to be positive for one or more item. As a result of the comparative study, INSTANT-VIEW M-I was found to require simple operation and a shorter time. Triage DOA, on the other hand, was simpler to use with respect to deciding the outcome. Regarding the efficiency of drug testing, sensitivity was higher in INSTANT-VIEW M-I, and specificity was higher in Triage DOA. The false positive rates for tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines were high in both kits; these kits must be used with the understanding that there will be false positives (false negatives) in simple screening tests.
