coaguchek - by roche

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temp69

Well-known member
Joined
May 23, 2006
Messages
419
Location
calabasas, ca
anybodey use this machine?

my cardiologist hooked me up with Tapestry Medical, and they're saying I'm covered to get one. They also claim it's the best on the market. Duh. What are they going to say?

Any help would be lovely:D
 
I doubt that there are many here who have used multiple machines. I use Coagucheck and am very pleased with it. I periodically have a lab draw to check the accuraccy and have never differed by more than 0.2 seconds. At the price of these machines, it is not liklely that I would try another one for comparison. Not quite the same as trying two different brands of food from the market.

I have been very happy with getting supplis from Tapestry. i obtained my original device and the required training from another company that does not deal in supplies at all.
 
There's a new Coagucheck coming out that about the size of the INRatio. Is this the one they're talking about getting you?
 
K:

I don't know. I will check out their website. I think it's the one about the size of a small CD player, about twice the size of an ipod.

temp69
 
Hey temp69,
I have been using CoaguChek since 2004 and it has worked very good for me.
I am like DrAllan and I get a blood draw every six months to check the accuracy and it has been just fine.
I would like to upgrade to one of the machines like the INRatio or the CoaguChek XS that is suppose to be coming out next month, but it will depend on how much they are going to be.
 
My Coumadin Clinic used an early model of the Coaguchek which was quite accurate. They tried (and rejected) the second version because of discrepancies / inaccuracies at higher INR numbers, but then went with the third model when it came out.

It was my understanding that Coaguchek has withdrawn their testers from the 'home test market' but have yet another model ("S") under development. Has that situation changed recently?

'AL Capshaw'
 
We are one of those who has had two machines.....protime and coaguchek. By far, in my opinion, the Coaguchek is above and beyond the Protime. I think it's more accurate, easier to use, uses less blood....no cup to fill...and has 24 hour support if you need it....Love it, love it, love it.

Evelyn
 
I have done well in excess of 50,000 tests with various CoaguChek machines. I'll match my patient outcomes with anyone in the world.

The CoaguChek-S is the model that they are not currently selling for home use, unless they just changed their policy again.

The Coagu-Chek - XS is the new model. I wouldn't compare it to a i-pod, more like a little smaller than a portable CD player. They are developing the marketing materials now. It should be available by the end of 2006 and widely pushed by 2007 (In the US). Our members in the UK and Singapore report that they are using them already. It will take less blood and have a bigger target including being able to just touch the side of the strip to the blood drop.
 
We are thinking about getting a Coagucheck in the near future. Our doctor has offered to purchase it for us. He is in the process of opening a Coumadin Clinic in his office. For us, it would be easier if we both had the same type of anticoag monitor. While searching, this is the info I found about the new Coaguchek. From what I read, it appears that the Coaguchek XS is for home testers and the Coaguchek XSPlus is for doctors and clinics. THey say that the machines are similar in that they use the same strips, etc. The information about the XS Plus model is on this site too.

http://www.coaguchek.com/com/index.php?target=/en/professionals/products/coaguchek_xs
 
I have had a Coaguchek for just over a year; the machine is great. I worked with Tapestry to get the machine, but their service hasn't been the greatest. They also seem to have issues dealing with my insurance co that we have been unable to resolve, so we probably won't be continuing our relationsihp with them. We have also had issues with them promising to return our phone calls that never came. They're a new company and hopefully they will be able to fix these issues. If you have specific Tapestry questions beyond this info, don't hesitate to ask.

Mike
 
Wow! thanks!

Wow! thanks!

as always, reassuring words are the best. I'm in the process of procuring a machine right now. Not sure what model, but the website shows the latest, I think.

thanks again! :)
 
Roche seems to make ?two? models of each machine? according to my discussion with the Roche Representative and by phone with their support group, the machines are essentially the same and use the same test strips etc. The difference is that for home testing, the FDA requires changes in the software interface to the tester to try and prevent certain missteps that might be taken. There is also a significant price differential between the two machines. In my case almost a 50% decrease for the doctors device. Even though I am a physician, the insurance company would not pay for that device for me to do my own home testing because it had not been ?approved?. So, you could have come to my office and been tested with the less expensive machine and I would get paid to do the test, but on myself no reimbursement.

At this point let me tell you how I operate my machine with my background as a physician and a chemist. The test strips do not calibrate the machine or the strips, they only indicate that the machine is functioning properly. For a doctors machine, the controls need be run only once a day, mainly to assure the staff that the machine has not been dropped or damaged in some way from the previous day. Also, the figures for control test results encompass three standard deviations from the actual vaslues, which isa huge range. Thus, what I do is rarely do controls. When I reach the last strip in a series, I at the same time run a test with a new box of strips. So far, the results have also been within 0.1 second of each other. This is as best a control as you can get. I have a lab draw every three months to validate the results. What this means is that with the present coagucheck, I am able to do 11 tests from each box of 12 strips exclusive of the ?overlap test that I do. This allows me to deal with my erratic INR values with testing every three days.

The new device from Roche will have the controls built into each strip, probably similar to the three cuvette system of INR. Thus my method above will no longer work with the new machine.

To further confuse the situation, one of my physician friends tried to set up a Coaguchek clinic in his office. The patients did not like it compared to the lab draws and he discontinued the service. He gave me 3 boxes of 48 strips. I have for the past two months been doing daily testing. In spite of on a weekly basis either keeping the same dosage in spite of the INR, or ?tweaking? the dosage based on the INR, my fluctuations continue. I am most jealous of those of you who claim that your INR is the same regardless of the time interval from 1-6 weeks between testing. Personally, I think Coumadin is a drug with huge variations in response. If you think I?, mot frustrated by this, imagine what your busy attending doctor feels when the dreaded INR result crosses his desk, or the nurse says, ?what should I do about this??
 
DrAllan, do you know why the patients did not like the coumadin clinic the doctor tried to set up? My husbands PCP just got the finger stick machine and it is so much better for him than a lab draw every month.
 
I think that the main difference between the Coaguchek XS and the XS plus is that the plus will interface with the clinic computer.

I was a principal investigator on the study to prove the accuracy of the CoaguChek-XS. I did about 1,000 tests on various machines. We will be switching our testers to the XS as soon as possible.
 
DrAllan said:
"...When I reach the last strip in a series, I at the same time run a test with a new box of strips. So far, the results have also been within 0.1 second of each other. This is as best a control as you can get. I have a lab draw every three months to validate the results. What this means is that with the present coagucheck, I am able to do 11 tests from each box of 12 strips exclusive of the ?overlap test that I do...?
Hey doc, that's a really neat idea. Doubly attractive to me as the test-strips themselves are available at no charge from our National Health Service, but the calibration thingies are not and I have to pay separately for them.
 
We've used the coaguchek S for 5 years without a problem - we have considered changing to the XS but are happy with ours for now so will think more about changing over later.

xxx
 
DrAllan said:
If you think I?, mot frustrated by this, imagine what your busy attending doctor feels when the dreaded INR result crosses his desk, or the nurse says, ?what should I do about this??

DrAllan:

During one of my PCP visits, a nurse knocked, then popped her head into the examining room where I was. She had just run an INR on a patient, wanted to know what to do about dosage based on results.
My PCP said something to the nurse, then turned to me and asked me (!) what I would do, knowing that I home-test and adjust my own dosage. I asked what the desired range was and what the INR was that day on the practice's CoaguCheck. It was only 0.1 or 0.2 over the range.
I told him I would do nothing and a recheck should be based on the patient's history (erratic INR/stable INR).
He agreed.
 
Matt's ins. company just called. They authorized a purchase of CoaguChek. He should be getting it soon...
 
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