This webinar covers an ongoing study to assess whether a rapid PCR-based gastrointestinal panel can improve health outcomes in the emergency room setting. 

The FilmArray Gastrointestinal Panel tests for identification of 22 different pathogens, including bacteria, parasites, and viruses from stool specimens in Cary Blair transport media. In this webinar, Jennifer Dien Bard from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles discusses how the FilmArray GI Panel affects patient outcomes for children with gastroenteritis presenting to emergency departments.

BioFire’s FilmArray® System uses syndromic testing to identify infectious diseases and is used in combination with assay-specific reagent panels. The system combines a broad grouping of probable pathogenic causes into a single, rapid test. This allows physicians to easily choose the right test, the first time. Requiring only two minutes of hands-on time, the FilmArray has a turnaround time of about an hour.

Dr. Dien Bard discusses ongoing work to assess whether this rapid turnaround time allows clinicians to more rapidly diagnose GI illness and recommend the appropriate therapy.