A multi-target screening analysis in human plasma using fast liquid chromatography-hybrid tandem mass spectrometry (Part II).

OBJECTIVES: Perform a comparison of results obtained with a LC-MS/MS method and a Remedi® instrument on clinical serum samples. DESIGN AND METHODS: Results obtained on 146 selected plasma samples were compared between the two methods. RESULTS: On the 336 positive identifications, 89% were obtained using the LC-MS/MS technique and 57% by the LC-DAD. Benzodiazepines were well recognized by LC-MS/MS. For some compounds such as antidepressant agents, sensitivity was improved using LC-MS/MS. Moreover, this method extended the panel of drugs detected in clinical toxicology. CONCLUSION: The new software platform developed for screening and identification of small molecules (SmileMS) allows an easy and reproducible detection of drugs and toxic compounds in blood for general unknown screening. It offers automated generation of reports, which makes the LC-MS/MS easier to use without having specialised skills in mass spectrometry. This LC-MS/MS screening method will be a reliable alternative to the Remedi® instrument in the global process of screening in emergency clinical toxicology laboratories.