i-STAT cartridges
Get your i-STAT cartridges from the largest provider of refurbished i-STAT analyzers to physician offices, hospitals, and other rapid diagnostic workplaces.
Block Scientific stocks every Abbott i-STAT cartridge in the current menu, from blood gases and electrolytes to cardiac markers, coagulation, TBI biomarkers, and beta-hCG. Order what you need, when you need it, from a partner that knows the i-STAT platform inside and out.
Results in about 2 minutes
Most i-STAT cartridges deliver results in roughly two to three minutes from sample application, replacing 30 to 60 minute central lab turnaround.
Lab-quality accuracy at the bedside
i-STAT analytes are traceable to NIST reference standards and correlate tightly with central lab methods.
Sample volumes as small as 17 uL
Many cartridges run on tiny sample volumes, supporting fingerstick collection and blood conservation in fragile patients.
Full test menu from one handheld
Blood gases, electrolytes, chemistries, cardiac markers, coagulation, TBI, and beta-hCG all run on the same handheld.
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Browse i-STAT cartridges by category
Below you will find every i-STAT cartridge Block Scientific carries, grouped by clinical category. Click through to any product page for full specifications, intended use, sample requirements, and FAQs.
Blood gases and combination panels
These cartridges cover dedicated blood gas testing as well as combination panels that add electrolytes, hematocrit, glucose, ionized calcium, or lactate to the same test. They are the workhorses of critical care, emergency medicine, surgical suites, and respiratory therapy.
i-STAT G3+ cartridge (white)
- Dedicated blood gas panel covering pH, PCO2, PO2, plus calculated TCO2, HCO3, base excess, and sO2
- 95 uL sample, results in about two minutes
- Accepts arterial, venous, and capillary samples (heel stick capable for NICU use)
- Built for respiratory therapy, ventilator management, and neonatal care
i-STAT CG4+ cartridge
- Blood gases plus lactate in a single test
- Critical for sepsis risk stratification and Surviving Sepsis Campaign protocols
- 95 uL arterial or venous sample, results in about two minutes
- Used in ED triage, ICU, and lactic acidosis workups
i-STAT EG6+ cartridge
- Blood gases plus sodium, potassium, and hematocrit
- Calculated bicarbonate helps separate metabolic from respiratory acid-base disorders
- 95 uL sample, results in about two minutes
- Used in critical care, emergency medicine, and surgical settings
i-STAT EG7+ cartridge
- Adds ionized calcium to the EG6+ panel
- Valuable in cardiac, surgical, and massive transfusion settings where citrate chelation matters
- 95 uL sample, results in about two minutes
- Common in OR, ICU, and ED workflows
i-STAT CG8+ cartridge
- The most comprehensive single-cartridge panel, covering blood gases, sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, glucose, and hematocrit
- One sample, one cartridge, full critical care snapshot in under three minutes
- Heavily used in OR, ICU, ED, and labor and delivery
- 95 uL arterial, venous, or capillary whole blood
Chemistries and electrolytes
For metabolic panels, renal function screening, and standalone glucose or creatinine testing.
i-STAT CHEM8+ cartridge
- Full basic metabolic panel plus ionized calcium, hematocrit, and calculated hemoglobin
- Covers sodium, potassium, chloride, TCO2, anion gap, glucose, BUN, and creatinine
- 95 uL sample, results in about two minutes
- One of the most widely used cartridges in the i-STAT lineup
i-STAT Crea cartridge
- Standalone creatinine test for renal function assessment
- CLIA waived for venous lithium heparin samples on the i-STAT 1 System
- R-squared of 0.99 versus central lab methods
- Ideal for pre-imaging contrast screening, dialysis monitoring, and renal disease workups
i-STAT G cartridge
- Dedicated glucose-only test for situations where a glucometer is not accurate enough
- Approved for neonates through adults
- 65 uL sample, results in about two minutes
- Used in NICU, pediatric, and adult critical care
Cardiac markers
For chest pain triage, MI rule-in and rule-out, heart failure assessment, and reinfarction monitoring.
i-STAT cTnI cartridge
- Standard cardiac troponin I for rapid chest pain triage and ACS risk stratification
- Meets ACC/AHA 60-minute turnaround guideline 98% of the time
- 17 uL sample, results in about ten minutes
- Reduces time to anti-ischemic therapy and ED length of stay
i-STAT hs-TnI cartridge
- High sensitivity troponin I with sex-specific 99th percentile cutoffs
- Roughly 99% negative predictive value for MI rule-out (validated in 28 sites, 3,500+ patients)
- 22 uL sample, results in about 15 minutes
- The point-of-care option for early MI rule-out pathways
i-STAT BNP cartridge
- Quantitative B-type natriuretic peptide for heart failure diagnosis
- Helps separate cardiac from pulmonary causes of dyspnea in the ED
- 17 uL EDTA sample (note the different anticoagulant from most i-STAT cartridges)
- Useful for serial monitoring of treatment response
i-STAT CK-MB cartridge
- Quantitative CK-MB mass measurement for cardiac injury
- Useful for timing the onset of infarction and detecting reinfarction
- 17 uL sample, results in minutes at the point of care
- Complements troponin testing in MI workups
Coagulation
For PT/INR monitoring of patients on warfarin and other coumarin derivatives, and for ACT monitoring during heparin therapy and cardiac surgery.
i-STAT PTplus cartridge
- Lab-quality PT/INR results in about five minutes from a fingerstick
- Wider clinical range (0.8 to 8.0 INR) and improved precision (2.4% CV)
- Cleared for monitoring all coumarin derivative anticoagulants
- Ideal for anticoagulation clinics and ED workflows
i-STAT ACTc cartridge
- Celite activated clotting time for moderate and high-level heparin monitoring
- Chemical endpoint (thrombin detection) rather than mechanical clot detection
- Less affected by temperature, hematocrit, dilution, and user technique
- 40 uL fresh non-anticoagulated whole blood
i-STAT ACTk cartridge
- Kaolin activated clotting time, specifically for high-dose heparin in cardiac surgery
- Designed for cardiopulmonary bypass and similar high-anticoagulation procedures
- Same chemical endpoint approach as the ACTc
- 40 uL fresh non-anticoagulated whole blood
Traumatic brain injury
The first point-of-care blood test for TBI biomarker assessment, used to help determine which mTBI patients actually need a head CT.
i-STAT TBI cartridge
- Measures GFAP and UCH-L1 in whole blood for suspected mild TBI
- 96.5% negative predictive value, shown to reduce CT utilization by up to 40%
- Results in 15 minutes from a 20 uL EDTA whole blood sample
- Runs on the i-STAT Alinity instrument only
i-STAT TBI Plasma cartridge
- Plasma version of the TBI assay for clinical laboratory workflows
- 12-hour injury window, integrates with existing centrifuged sample pipelines
- Same dual GFAP and UCH-L1 biomarker approach as the whole blood version
- Runs on the i-STAT Alinity instrument only
Endocrinology
Quantitative whole blood pregnancy testing for ED, surgical, and radiology settings.
i-STAT Total Beta-hCG cartridge
- Quantitative and qualitative beta-hCG from a 17 uL whole blood or plasma sample
- Provides an actual concentration value, not just positive or negative
- Critical for pre-imaging, pre-surgical, and pre-medication screening
- Supports ectopic pregnancy workup and early viability assessment
Why the i-STAT is the right tool for physician offices, small clinics, and small hospitals
The i-STAT was built around a simple idea. Bring lab-quality results to the patient instead of moving the patient (or the patient's sample) to the lab. For physician offices, urgent care clinics, and small community hospitals, that idea changes how care gets delivered.
A handful of examples of what that looks like in real practice.
Primary care offices can run a basic metabolic panel during the visit, adjust a medication, and discharge the patient with a clear plan instead of waiting hours for reference lab results.
Urgent care clinics can rule out cardiac chest pain with a troponin in ten minutes instead of transferring the patient to an ED.
Small rural hospitals can run blood gases and lactate on a septic patient without waiting for a courier.
Mobile clinics and outreach programs can bring lab-quality testing to patients who cannot easily get to a hospital.
The cartridge menu also means one piece of equipment covers a remarkable range of clinical questions. Chemistries, blood gases, electrolytes, cardiac markers, coagulation, pregnancy, and TBI biomarkers all run on the same handheld, with the same training, the same QC workflow, and the same connectivity to your LIS or EMR. For sites that cannot justify multiple dedicated analyzers, the i-STAT covers the bases that matter most.
Working with Block Scientific is good for your point-of-care department
POC departments run on a hundred small details, and the difference between a good supplier and a frustrating one usually comes down to whether the people on the other end of the phone actually know your account. That is the part we take seriously.
Here is what that looks like in practice.
A real person who knows your account
When you call us, you talk to someone who knows your fleet and knows the i-STAT platform. Not a ticket queue.
Big enough to handle large hospital networks
We supply cartridges and refurbished instrumentation to multi-site health systems across the country.
Small enough to stay familiar
Your local rep picks up the phone, returns emails, and helps you sort out the things that come up day to day.
A Center of Excellence for the i-STAT
POC departments run on a hundred small details, and the difference between a ghe Abbott i-STAT is one of our designated Centers of Excellence platforms, which means deep inventory, factory-level refurbishment, and a service team that knows the platform cold.
45+ years in the laboratory equipment business.
We have been doing this since long before "point of care" was a marketing term.
Build out your i-STAT fleet for less than the cost of buying new
POC departments are constantly under pressure to expand testing capacity without expanding budgets. New i-STAT analyzers are expensive, and for many sites, paying full price for a brand new unit is hard to justify when a refurbished one will do the same job at a fraction of the cost.
This is one of the categories where refurbished equipment is genuinely a great deal. The i-STAT 1 and i-STAT Alinity are durable, well-supported platforms with long service lives. A refurbished unit from Block Scientific is thoroughly tested, calibrated, and verified to meet original manufacturer specifications before it ships. It runs the same cartridges, produces the same results, and integrates the same way as a new one.
For POC departments, that means you can.
- Add analyzers across more departments and satellite locations without a capital request
- Deploy units in mobile clinics, ambulances, and outreach programs
- Stage backup units so a single instrument failure does not shut down your testing
- Stand up POC testing in new physician office locations without overspending
When you bundle refurbished i-STAT analyzers with cartridge and consumable orders, your local sales rep can put together pricing that works better than buying everything
We buy your old i-STATs
If your facility is moving in a different direction, Block Scientific will buy your old i-STAT instruments. We are one of the largest buyers of used i-STAT equipment in North America, and we make the process simple.
Common scenarios where we can help.
Upgrading from i-STAT 1 to i-STAT Alinity
When you transition your fleet, we will take your i-STAT 1 units off your hands and put cash or credit toward your new instrumentation.
Switching to a different POC platform
If you are moving away from i-STAT entirely, we will still buy your existing inventory rather than letting it sit idle in a closet or get scrapped.
Closing a department, lab, or facility
We handle decommissioning, removal, and buyback so you do not have to coordinate disposal yourself.
Consolidating after a merger or acquisition
When two facilities combine and you end up with surplus units, we can take the extras and turn them into recovered capital.
Replacing aging units in your existing fleet
Even if you are staying on i-STAT, swapping out older units for refurbished ones can refresh your fleet without a full new-equipment purchase.
The buyback process is straightforward. Tell us what you have, we make an offer, we coordinate pickup and removal, and you get paid. If you are also buying refurbished instrumentation or cartridges from us, the buyback value can be applied directly to that order to reduce your out-of-pocket cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. We stock the full Abbott i-STAT cartridge menu, including blood gas and combination panels (G3+, CG4+, EG6+, EG7+, CG8+), chemistry cartridges (CHEM8+, Crea, G), cardiac markers (cTnI, hs-TnI, BNP, CK-MB), coagulation (PTplus, ACTc, ACTk), TBI biomarkers (TBI and TBI Plasma), and Total Beta-hCG.
Yes. We sell genuine Abbott i-STAT cartridges. Same product codes, same specifications, same FDA clearances.
No. You can order cartridges from us regardless of where you bought your i-STAT analyzers. That said, if you are looking to expand your fleet or replace aging units, bundling cartridges with refurbished instrumentation usually gets you better pricing than buying them separately.
Both run most of the same cartridge menu, but the Alinity has additional connectivity features and is the only instrument that runs the TBI and TBI Plasma cartridges. The i-STAT 1 remains widely used and is well-supported. Block Scientific carries refurbished versions of both.
Each cartridge product page includes intended use, sample requirements, reportable ranges, and clinical applications. If you are weighing options between cartridges (for example, EG6+ versus EG7+ versus CG8+), your local Block Scientific rep can walk you through the differences based on the analytes you actually need.
Yes. Every refurbished i-STAT from Block Scientific is tested, calibrated, and verified before shipping, and we back our refurbished instrumentation with a warranty. Talk to your local rep for current warranty terms.
Yes. Block Scientific provides repair and maintenance services across the United States for i-STAT and other major analyzer platforms. Our service pricing is typically up to 50% lower than OEM service contracts.
Complete the form on this page and your local sales rep will reach out to discuss your application, fleet, and ordering needs. If you are also interested in selling old i-STAT units back to us, mention that and we will roll it into the same conversation.
Ready to get started?
Whether you are stocking up on cartridges, looking at refurbished i-STAT analyzers, selling old units back to us, or all of the above, Block Scientific is the partner that can make it happen. Complete the form on this page and your local sales rep will be in touch.