Coagulation Analyzer Aids Management of Warfarin

A hand-held coagulation analyzer enables rapid decision-making in physician offices and clinics monitoring patient oral anticoagulation therapy (OAT).

The Xprecia Stride Coagulation Analyzer is a portable device that delivers fast, reliable prothrombin time (PT) results and the international normalized ratio (INR) measure for point-of-care monitoring and management of OAT with warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist. The new analyzer was specifically designed to meet the growing demand for fast and reliable point of care (POC) PT/INR results needed by healthcare professionals to make informed decisions. The device uses fresh capillary (finger stick) whole blood, utilizing the same reagent used by central lab analyzers to minimize any potential for variability.

To help increase workflow efficiency and usability, an integrated bar-code scanner checks calibration data of new lot numbers prior to testing. Safety features include a spring-loaded test strip eject button that allows users to eject a used test strip and dispose of it without touching it, minimizing potential biohazard exposure. Other features include easy data transfer to a computer and a color display with animated step-by-step instructions to help guide the user during testing. The Xprecia Stride Coagulation Analyzer is a product of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (Tarrytown, NY, USA).

“The Xprecia Stride Coagulation Analyzer is among the most radical, user-friendly redesigns of a point-of-care coagulation analyzer since they became widely available more than 20 years ago,” said David Stein, PhD, CEO of the Siemens Diagnostics point of care business unit. “The Xprecia Stride Analyzer uses simple icons and animation in a color display more commonly found in smartphones than medical instruments.”

“Unlike our previous coagulation point-of-care analyzer, the Xprecia Stride analyzer does not place any limits on us as to the kinds of patients that can be tested,” said hematologist Maria Labrador, MD, of Hospital Cruz Roja (Cordoba, Spain). “We test around 50 patients a day for PT/INR using the Xprecia Stride analyzer and we have been happy with the results from the very beginning.”

Warfarin decreases blood coagulation by inhibiting vitamin K epoxide reductase, an enzyme that recycles oxidized vitamin K to its reduced form after it has participated in the carboxylation of several blood coagulation proteins, mainly prothrombin and factor VII. It was initially introduced in 1948 as a pesticide against rats and mice and is still popular for this purpose. In the early 1950's warfarin was found to be effective and relatively safe for preventing thrombosis and embolism in many disorders. It is the most widely prescribed oral anticoagulant drug in North America.

Related Links:
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
Hospital Cruz Roja