H. pylori
When a rapid urease test can mislead
PPIs, antibiotics and the active-infection question.
A negative rapid urease test does not always mean no H. pylori. It often means the patient was on a PPI, bismuth or antibiotics. The IFU is explicit: no antibiotics or bismuth salts for three weeks, and no H2-blockers or PPIs for two weeks, before endoscopy.
Where you cannot pause acid suppression, choose a method less sensitive to it, and standardise the test you trust so a negative is a real negative.
A point-of-care test that reflects active infection keeps test-and-treat to a single visit.