CoaguChek

[Flamingotrainer]

There was a question from Jamie about CoaguChek. I had an aortic valve replacement in 1997 and have been using a CoaguChek XS for six years. I initially bought it because I was not happy with the phlebotomists at the local health centre; their hygiene was questionable, I didn't like sitting in a waiting room for about an hour, it was inconvenient and at the time I went a lot of cruises and I now spend the winters in St Lucia and tests are expensive. After some initial fumbling I get on extremely well. It is portable, accurate and if you can afford it (£400 or US$620) very convenient. I have learned a couple of things which may help: the hardest thing I found was to get a large enough drop of blood to get a reading within the allotted time and would use multple test strips. I put the lance on maximum and took ten minutes to stop the bleeding. Now I put the selected finger in a cup of hot water and get it right straight away. If you an afford it, I get the lances and test strips on the NHS, I would recommend it. It can also be used with pinpoint accuracy to reduce my INR for dental surgery, eye surgery and to remove skin cancers.  


This discussion is related to Correct INR for Patient with Mechanical Aortic Valve Replacement.

[kenkeith]

Thanks for the information.  Take care