08.04.14
Post-operation infection is one of the most common complications faced by orthopedic patients.5 The current gold standard for diagnosing a post-op infection such as Clostridium difficile bacteria (commonly called C-diff) is a tissue culture. The tissue culture assay is lengthy, taking 48 hours to determine if a sample is negative, and labor-intensive, but many clinical laboratories still use it because of its high sensitivity.6 In some cases, antibiotics are prescribed or debridement is performed without proof of an infecting organism. Blood-based tests can suggest the presence of infection but they may not be able to determine the species or antibiotic sensitivities of infecting organisms. The rapid and accurate diagnosis of infection is still a difficult component of treatment. Recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic infections, such as new molecular techniques, have shown exciting early promise.
The market for molecular diagnostics is segmented by technique and application. Mary techniques are employed to detect and quantify specific DNA or RNA sequences or proteins. These include polymerase chain reaction, in-situ hybridization, chips and microarrays and sequencing.
Infectious disease testing is the largest segment of the molecular diagnostics market, followed by oncology, genetics and blood screening. Hospital acquired infections are estimated to be the fastest growing segment within infectious diseases and have been forecasted at a CAGR of 15.1 percent from 2013-2019.9
The market for molecular diagnostics is segmented by technique and application. Mary techniques are employed to detect and quantify specific DNA or RNA sequences or proteins. These include polymerase chain reaction, in-situ hybridization, chips and microarrays and sequencing.
Infectious disease testing is the largest segment of the molecular diagnostics market, followed by oncology, genetics and blood screening. Hospital acquired infections are estimated to be the fastest growing segment within infectious diseases and have been forecasted at a CAGR of 15.1 percent from 2013-2019.9