Piccolo® Xpress

Piccolo Xpress is an extremely easy-to-use and reliable blood biochemistry analyser that brings clinical chemistry diagnostics closer to the patient. Beneath its compact appearance lies sophisticated technology: the system delivers complete biochemistry panel results, with laboratory accuracy, directly at the point of care, in just 12 minutes.

The technology was originally developed for NASA, by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with the aim of creating a portable chemistry analyser, capable of performing multiple tests from a few drops of whole blood — simple enough to be used by almost anyone and small enough to fit anywhere. Abaxis completed the development, obtaining FDA approval for human use in 1995, and since 2018 the product has been part of the Zoetis portfolio.

Compact, yet precise

Portable and easy to integrate into any practice, Piccolo Xpress allows routine tests to be performed in practically any context, with the precision and accuracy of large laboratory analysers.

• Small dimensions: 32.5 × 14.9 × 21.0 cm.
• Measurements performed at 9 different wavelengths.
• Advanced technology that uses centrifugal and capillary forces to mix and dilute the reagents and the sample within a self-contained, single-use disc.
• Intelligent on-board quality control system (iQC®), for reliable results.
• Each reagent disc is barcoded for automatic self-calibration.

Simple operation — in 3 steps and 12 minutes

Step 1 Add the sample — 100 µl of whole blood, serum or plasma.

Step 2 Insert the reagent disc into the analyser.

Step 3 Read the results — ready in 12 minutes.

• Only 30 seconds of “hands-on” handling, then “walk-away” operation.
• No daily controls and no special operating skills.
• iQC® system with complete quality checks at every run.
• Small sample volume — ideal also for patients where sampling is difficult (premature newborns, elderly).
• Results are printed on a self-adhesive copy or transferred electronically, for immediate access to critical information.
• Direct compatibility with USB peripherals: barcode readers, keyboards, PCs, LIS systems and printers.

iQC® — Intelligent Quality Control

In addition to fully automated processing and on-board data management, Piccolo Xpress incorporates the unique iQC® process, which checks the analyser, the reagent disc and the sample at every run, confirming correct electronic and chemical performance. If it detects atypical performance, iQC® automatically suppresses a single chemistry or the entire panel and immediately alerts the operator.

• Analyser — optics validation, temperature control at 37 °C and continuous hardware/software verification.
• Reagents — fluidics control and barcode verification of the panel type, expiry date and calibration factors.
• Sample — sample quality assessment and reporting only of results unaffected by interferences (haemolysis, lipaemia, jaundice).

On-board quality control meets the requirements of international proficiency standards (e.g. the FDA’s CLIA standard).

The reagent disc

The Piccolo Xpress reagent disc contains components integrated with the optical, electronic and mechanical functions of the analyser and participates in all phases of the analysis. A barcode encodes the panel type, lot number, expiry date and calibration factors, verified at the start of each test through a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). Microfluidics and mechanical functions measure and mix the sample with the diluent, delivering the precise mixture into the cuvettes arranged around the periphery of the disc. Barcode auto-calibration eliminates time-consuming, error-prone manual calibrations.

Menu of panels and analytes

With just 4 drops of blood, Piccolo Xpress delivers up to 14 general chemistry results, with laboratory accuracy, in less than 12 minutes. The available preconfigured panels include, among others:

• General Chemistry 6 / 13
• Biochemistry Panel Plus
• AmLyte 13
• Basic Metabolic Panel / Plus
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
• Electrolyte Panel
• MetLyte 8 Panel / MetLyte Plus CRP
• MetLac 12 Panel
• Lipid Panel / Lipid Panel Plus
• Hepatic Function Panel / Liver Panel Plus
• Renal Function Panel / Kidney Check

Measured analytes

Albumin (ALB), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), ALT, Amylase (AMY), AST, Direct bilirubin (DBIL), Urea (BUN), Total calcium (Ca), Creatine kinase (CK), Chloride (Cl–), Creatinine (CRE), C-reactive protein (CRP), GGT, Glucose (GLU), Potassium (K+), Lactate (LAC), LDH, Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na+), Phosphorus (PHOS), Total bilirubin (TBIL), Total CO2 (tCO2), Total protein (TP), Uric acid (UA), Cholesterol (CHOL), HDL, LDL*, nHDL*, VLDL*, Triglycerides (TRIG), CHOL/HDL ratio*. (* calculated values)

Technical specifications

Analyser type	Clinical biochemistry analyser (point-of-care)
Dimensions (L × W × H)	32.5 × 14.9 × 21.0 cm
Sample type	Whole blood, serum or plasma
Sample volume	100 µl (approx. 4 drops)
Time to result	12 minutes
Hands-on time	~30 seconds, then “walk-away” operation
Tests per disc	Up to 14 results
Measurement	9 wavelengths; centrifugal and capillary forces
Quality control	On-board iQC®; barcode auto-calibration
Connectivity	USB (barcode reader, keyboard, PC, printer); LIS / EMR
Compliance	CLIA standard (FDA)