Home / Devices / Siemens RAPIDPoint 500
Connecting a Siemens RAPIDPoint 500 to your LIS or EHR
Quick answer
Yes. The RAPIDPoint 500 systems have 10Base-T Ethernet and an RS-232 port for LIS and HIS transmission, and can send over both at once. The Catenix gateway receives results on either link, files the automatic QC separately and passes patient blood gases to your EHR or LIS. Siemens does not publish the message format, so it is confirmed on your analyser during setup.
The RAPIDPoint 500 and 500e are cartridge-based blood gas analysers for hospitals and emergency departments. In about 60 seconds they report blood gases, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, ionised calcium, chloride), glucose, lactate and full CO-oximetry, along with neonatal total bilirubin and pleural fluid pH.
A syringe sample needs 200 microlitres and a capillary 100. Cartridges come in 100, 250, 400 or 750 tests and last 28 days on board.
| What | How Catenix handles it |
|---|---|
| Parameters | Blood gas, electrolytes, glucose, lactate, CO-ox, nBili |
| Sample | 200 uL syringe or 100 uL capillary |
| Network | 10Base-T Ethernet; wireless via Ethernet bridge |
| Serial | RS-232, with dual-port sending over Ethernet and serial |
| On-board store | 250 patient samples, 250 QC samples, 5,000 operators |
| Data manager | RAPIDComm (Siemens) |
Automatic QC on a 28-day cartridge
Instead of staff opening ampoules, the RAPIDPoint 500 can run its controls from an onboard QC cartridge with no operator involvement for the full 28 days. Sites that prefer ampoules can use three levels of control solution on a schedule they set.
Every one of those QC runs is a result Catenix keeps out of the patient record. Controls are graded with Westgard rules and plotted on Levey-Jennings charts, and a failed control holds patient results for the affected analyte.
Operators and patient IDs at the analyser
An onboard scanner captures operator and patient IDs and QC information, reading Code 128, Codabar, Code 39 and Interleaved 2 of 5, with 2D used only for QC data entry. User privileges can be set for testing, administration and reporting.
Catenix keeps the operator ID with each blood gas and matches the result to the patient. A sample with an unknown ID waits for review instead of being filed.
Ethernet, serial or wireless
On the network, the gateway listens on the LAN; on the RS-232 port it uses a serial device server. Where analysers move between areas, Siemens supports wireless roaming through an Ethernet bridge. In every case the gateway reconnects after a drop, stores each message with its result and keeps results on site during an internet outage. Siemens' own RAPIDComm can stay in use for remote instrument control.
Siemens Healthineers and RAPIDPoint are trademarks of their owners. Catenix is an independent connectivity provider, not affiliated with or endorsed by Siemens Healthineers.
Questions people ask
Can the RAPIDPoint 500 send to two systems at once?
Siemens lists dual-port transmission over Ethernet and the serial port at the same time.
How are automatic QC cartridge results handled?
Catenix files them as QC, not patient results, and applies Westgard rules with Levey-Jennings charts.
Which barcodes does the scanner read?
Code 128, Codabar, Code 39 and Interleaved 2 of 5 for IDs, plus 2D codes for QC data entry.
Related: Werfen GEM Premier 3500 connection · Radiometer ABL90 connection · Levey-Jennings and Westgard rules · Device library
Product and company names are trademarks of their owners and are used for identification only. Catenix moves, stores and displays results with traceability; it does not interpret results or give clinical advice. Reviewed November 2026.
Tell us your setup
Send us your analyser and the system you want results in, and we will confirm how it connects, usually within one working day. Ask about your setup.