Objective: The purpose of this work is to research the applicability of the Enzyme-multiplied imunoassay technique (EMIT) to measure Ciclosporin A (CsA) in the whole blood sample absorbed in filter paper (STAP). Methods: It was performed dosage of CsA in 110 blood samples: 24 samples in patients with heart transplantation and 86 patients of renal transplantation. All of them were using CsA orally. Just 12 hours after the last CsA intake, the blood was collected and the STAP samples were prepared. The STAP samples were stored at room temperature for a period of 15 and 30 days. The whole blood samples were stored at about 4ºC for a time lower than 48 hours to the test. Results: The coefficient of correlation between the whole blood and the STAP samples of 15 days was 0.963 and 30 days was 0.972 (p < 0.0001). The coefficient correlation between the STAP samples measured after 15 and 30 days was 0.968 (p < 0.0001). The Friedman non-parametrical variance analysis for the three groups compared revealed it was not statistically significant (p > 0.005). Conclusions: The STAP technique can be used in the clinic practice, because it is stable, reproducible and practical. Considering the wide continental dimension of many countries, such method can be quite useful to optimize the therapy.
Cyclosporine; Immunoenzyme techniques; EMIT; Filter paper; Drug monitoring; Transplantation
