Urine toxicology testing is an important standard of care in the addiction and pain treatment setting, offering a reproducible, unbiased, and accurate laboratory test to monitor patients and provide objective support for clinical observations.
Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) is a biochemical methodology that detects the presence of multiple drugs and/or drug metabolites. By utilizing cloned analyte-specific enzyme donors, EIA offers consistent reproducibility of results. The outcomes are therefore more accurate and dependable.
- Presence of Multiple Drugs
- Consistent Results
- Accurate and Dependable
EIA is used for qualitative detection of medications and illicit substances. The EIA methodology involves a specialized enzyme mixed with analyte-specific antibodies. If the analyte (drug) is present in the specimen, an active enzyme forms, creating a change in color that can be measured on a device called a spectrophotometric analyzer. The amount of enzyme formed is proportional to the amount of analyte that is present in the specimen.
Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS, or alternatively HPLC-MS) is an analytical chemistry technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography (or HPLC) with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry (MS).
- Quantify a Range of Compounds
- Determine a Specific Compound
- Completed With Certainty
Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS) is a confirmatory technique that allows a laboratory to confidently identify and quantify a range of compounds. Unlike point of care urine cups or immunoassay screening techniques, the LCMS allows for determination of a specific compound. The extensive validation prior to patient sample analysis ensures that interferences do not occur and the identification of individual drug analytes can be completed with certainty.