New Test Spots Contamination on Medical Instruments

One of the overwhelming themes of this year’s Medica trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany, is the number of companies exhibiting imaging technology. Miniaturization and the adoption of consumer electronics-like applications are among the trends in medtech imaging—not to mention the number of companies that are entering the healthcare market building on imaging experience from other industries.

Among the companies that fall into that character of healthcare newcomers is Synoptics Health, a new division of Synoptics, a manufacturer of digital imaging systems for scientific applications. During Medica, the company introduced the ProReveal Test, a rapid in-situ fluorescence-based method of detecting proteins on surgical instruments.

Representatives from Synoptics Health experts demonstrated the technology, which combines an integrated ProReveal Protein Test Kit and a ProReveal Viewer with touch screen and software. According to company reps on hand at the show, two “spray and see” steps, allow users to detect nanogram levels of protein contamination, no matter where it is located on their entire surgical instrument. The process takes less that five minutes.

The whole instrument is checked for protein not just a small swabbed area. The results provide a visual display of the presence (or absence) of any protein and whether the level is above or below defined detection limits.



According to the company, the sensitivity of the test and the method used “removes any doubt” from the checking process.

ProReveal was developed during four years in partnership with scientists at Queen Mary University of London in the United Kingdom (UK) and is now available in the UK from Peskett Solutions and across the rest of the world from Synoptics Health, which is based in Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

“We are delighted to be introducing our revolutionary new test at the leading show for medical technology innovation,” said Paul Ellwood, CEO of Synoptics Health. “The ProReveal Test uses very sensitive, yet cost-effective fluorescence technology and will tell you exactly where, and how much protein is on your surgical instrument. This is a significant quality enhancement from current testing available and there isn’t any other affordable fluorescence-based test designed for this application that is commercially available, so it really is a first at Medica.”

Ellwood said that ProReveal Test can help users “optimize the decontamination process and ensure they continue to supply clean, safe surgical instruments, which comply with current and future quality standards.”

At Medica, Synoptics Health can be found in Hall 1, Booth F12 until Nov. 17.