Key result
Vcheck point-of-care troponin I correlates with high-sensitivity testing but lacks precision at low concentrations.
Why the study?
A partial validation of a point-of-care assay for measuring canine serum troponin I and its comparison to an established assay was needed to assess performance and precision.
Does the Vcheck point-of-care cardiac troponin I assay have acceptable analytical performance and correlation with a standard high-sensitivity assay for canine serum?
Observational (n=121)
Does the Vcheck point-of-care cardiac troponin I assay have acceptable analytical performance and correlation with a standard high-sensitivity assay for canine serum?
Effect estimate: Spearman ρ 0.742
The VC-cTnI point-of-care assay is acceptable for detecting clinically important canine myocardial injury at higher concentrations but lacks precision for values below 0.2 ng/mL.
Vcheck cTnI assay may support higher-concentration canine injury detection; leaves open precision and validation for low-level clinical use.
Objective: To perform a partial validation of a point-of-care assay (Vcheck cardiac troponin I [VC-cTnI; cTnI]) for measurement of cTnI in canine serum and to perform a method comparison between the VC-cTnI and an established chemiluminescent assay (ADVIA Centaur XP High-Sensitivity Troponin I [AC-cTnI-HS]). Methods: From September 4, 2024, through August 21, 2025, surplus canine serum was collected from a diagnostic laboratory, and within-day variability, dilutional parallelism, spiking recovery, and the effect of common interferents (hemolysis, icterus, and lipemia) were analyzed for the VC-cTnI assay. A method comparison of the VC-cTnI and AC-cTnI-HS assays was performed with 121 canine serum samples. Results: The within-day coefficient of variation ranged from 8.1% to 43.8%, decreasing as cTnI concentrations increased. Dilutional parallelism and spiking recovery assessments had mean ± SD observed-to-expected ratios of 80.5 ± 33.2% (range, 21.1% to 122.2%) and 112.8 ± 35.6% (range, 46.0% to 173.9%), respectively. There was no interference from icterus, hemolysis, or lipemia. There was a positive correlation between the VC-cTnI and AC-cTnI-HS assays (Spearman ρ, 0.742), though 16 of 121 samples (13.2%) were below the VC-cTnI detectable limit. Conclusions: The VC-cTnI assay lacked precision for measurement of concentrations below 0.2 ng/mL, but within-day variability was acceptable for higher concentrations. Clinical Relevance: The VC-cTnI assay is more precise when measuring higher cTnI concentrations and can detect myocardial injury in dogs. Results in the normal and equivocal range of the manufacturer's reference interval may be more challenging to interpret because of suboptimal precision in this range.
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Ditzler et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Canine myocardial injury (n=121). Vcheck cardiac troponin I (VC-cTnI) assay vs. ADVIA Centaur XP High-Sensitivity Troponin I (AC-cTnI-HS) assay was evaluated on Method comparison and correlation between VC-cTnI and AC-cTnI-HS assays (Spearman ρ 0.742). The Vcheck cardiac troponin I point-of-care assay showed positive correlation with a high-sensitivity assay (Spearman ρ 0.742) but lacked precision at low concentrations (<0.2 ng/mL).
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