EZ Detect

Instructions

Intended Use

EZ Detect(TM) is intended for in vitro detection of occult blood in the stool--an early indicator of various gastrointestinal bleeding disorders.

Constituents and Usage

EZ Detect(TM) consists of a biodegradable paper (pad) upon which special reagents have been printed. The pad changes color when it comes in contact with blood. EZ Detect(TM) uses a pseudo-peroxidase reaction utilizing a chromogen which, when oxidized, produces a distinct blue-green color.

After a bowel movement, a pad is placed in the toilet and, if excess blood is present in the stool, a blue-green cross will appear within two minutes. The test is simple, safe, and sanitary, and requires no handling of the stool.

Clinical Application

Occult blood in the stool is one of the primary warning signals of many bowel problems. EZ Detect(TM) is designed to detect blood in the stool that can be caused by bleeding ulcers, hemorrhoids, polyps, colitis, diverticulitis, fissures or cancer of the colon.

The American Cancer Society recommends that men and women over 40 and those who have a personal or family history of lower intestinal disorders use an occult blood test yearly or as often as their physician recommends.

Test Procedure

The specimen for the test is the feces. No specimen collection or handling of the feces is required to perform the test. To increase the probability of detection, the test is performed on three consecutive bowel movements. If the sequence is broken, the test should be continued until three bowel movements have been tested. Some gastrointestinal bleeding occurs intermittently. Checking three consecutive bowel movements will offer a better chance of finding lower intestinal bleeding.

All toilet cleaners, disinfectants, or deodorizers should be removed from the toilet bowl and the tank. The toilet should be flushed repeatedly until the water is clear. Once you believe the water is free of cleaners, etc., the toilet bowl water can be tested for adequacy by completing the following steps:

1. Open the foil pouch and take out one Test Tissue, and carefully drop it on the surface of the water in the toilet bowl. After the bowel movement, the patient places a test pad into the toilet.
2. If any trace of blue-green color appears on the Test Tissue after two minutes, the toilet water is unsuitable for the test. If no color appears in the cross area, you may flush the toilet and continue with the bowel movement tests.

Bowel Movement Test

• Urinate first and then flush the toilet
• Have a bowel movement
• Carefully drop a Test Tissue into the toilet bowl
• Any trace of blue-green color appearing in the Test Tissue within two minutes means excessive blood is present in the stool
• If no color appears, the test is negative.
• Upon completion of the test (3 consecutive bowel movements), the patient records the results on the return postcard and mails it to the physician or screening center.

Each kit also contains a return postcard which allows the patients to record their test results and send them to their physician.