Test Your Machines!

[ticktock]

This seemed an appropriate place for me to post a comment.

After a problem with a low INR, I took my ProTime machine with me to my cardio's office today. I checked on my machine, the clinic used a Coagucheck S. We used different puncture sites, done within a minute apart. His machine registered a 2.9. The ProTime said 4.5.

I am very unhappy as this has been an ONGOING problem since right after I received my ProTime machine. Never had a problem with my old CoaguCheck.

I am posting this primarily to advise ALL of you home testers to check your machine against your coag clinic, or a venipuncture at least quarterly. Had I dosed based on MY machine results today, I could well have had a serious bleed. This "IS" serious stuff we are dealing with, and although I approach most issues from humor, that is not the case when talking about potential strokes or bleeds. Been there (both) and done that (both).

Good luck to you all!
mindy

 

[Brian]

Mindy,
I am so sorry to hear of the problems with your Pro-Time machine, have you contacted the manufacturers about it? I haven't used a Protime, but I was thinking from other posts that they were normally all equal in results. The CoaguChek how ever, I can comment on. Since I have purchased mine back in April 2004, it hasn't missed a beat. Infact today I was in town and decided to drop into the lab for a blood test. There's came in at 3.3 and then when I got home there already was a message on the voice mail from my doctor concerned that my INR was getting too high. Once I listened to his message I retested with my CoaguChek S. BANG on again...3.3, exactly what the lab results were. I am completely sold on my machine, it hasn't let me down at all. I have done around 23 tests with it so for, and just received my shipment of 48 strips today. Am I just one of the lucky ones who hasn't had any problems with their own machines? Now all I have to do is get that happy medium for doseages of Rat Poison and all will be good.

I have been on 7.5, then 10 mg of Coumadin, it went low on me, so I have been taking 7.5, 10, 7.5, 10 and now it is creeping up again. I am thinking 7.5, 7.5 and 10.0 and repeat it. It is not a defined science, every one's body metabolises this stuff out differently..

Good luck to you all..

Brian

 

[ticktock]

This post is also on the Coumadin board, as a response to Evelyn. Thought this a good place to put it as well.

Evelyn
Our situations sound very similar. This ProTime machine has NEVER been anything but trouble. I started complaining about 8 months ago, and was told that I had to have "FIVE consecutive tests" showing "significant" variation from my clinic. Well, THAT took some time, and a lot of trips to the Doc. PAYING for lab tests when I had PAID for a home testing unit. Senseless.

I called them about 3 months ago and got this lecture about their "superior" machine, and it's far superior "sensitivity". I think its all balderdash at this point. Probably the worst part of the experience is the apparent lack of interest in this problem, by the company. They have offered NOTHING in the way of checking the machine, replacing the machine, etc.

At this point, I am going to be pursuing RETURN of the machine, AND reimbursement to both ME and my insurance company. I will then be alerting my insurance company, as I'm sure they would like their money back as well. The phone calls will begin on Friday. May take an extra Toprol XL, to avoid high BP and arrythmias!

I'm going back to my tried and true CoaguCheck machine. I called today and they are overnighting the supplies (at no cost to me!) so I will have them tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your experience, Evelyn. It is good to know I am not alone, although I am sorry that you too had to go through this frustrating exercise.
mindy
__________________
Mindy

 

[ticktock]

Brian
Hey, just read your post about my rant. Sorry... it was a mood. The machine has failed me, BUT I have a CoaguCheck as well, and it is functioning just fine.

It scared the jeebers outta me, not knowing what my INR "Really" was. Now that I know my Check is working, I'm ok.. I was sounding a tad hysterical there!!

Do you have Al Lodwick's chart for calculating changes in your Coumadin dosage?? It is MARVELOUS. I think its around $5. and you can order it from his website. I got it in less than a week. Easy to read, and I am living by it! So far, so good!!

Mindy

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Mindy

Boy oh boy is your situation sounding familiar......our only exception was that we did a 2 protime tests (my machine and one from ITC to check on my machine), our cardio's coaguchek AND a hospital draw on the same day. Was not fun and Tyce, who isn't a complainer, was not at all happy. Our machine didn't agree with ITC's machine, which didn't agree with either the coaguchek or the hospital test. The hospital and the coaguchek were .1 different, if I remember correctly, while the two protimes were crazy off.

We now ONLY test with our Coaguchek machine and love it. I do, though, bring it to our cardio's clinic once every few months to compare.....so far it's been right on. I think that's the smart way to go with ANY machine. Either that or check it against someone who is not on coumadin and see what it registers. I do have to say that when our Protime was checked against me, it registered a 1, but I think when the numbers get higher it gets proportionally out of whack. I don't know, I'm not an expert, but I can tell you that ITC in Edison NJ doesn't know either, and that was scary. They sent another machine to recheck, more cuvettes and nothing seemed to work. We were lucky that our insurances covered the coaguchek machine.....I do so wish I had purchased that one first, but as I've said before, it wasn't available for private use when we were looking.

Mindy....you said you were going to contact the manufacturer----have you received any satisfaction yet?

Evelyn

 

[ticktock]

Evelyn
I have not yet contacted the manufacturer. After coming back here and reading my rant, I thought I better cool off a little. I'm so happy to have my CoaguCheck machine, and I, like you, test it against my clinic every few months. Don't know why I ever thought I needed a different (new) machine.

I will be contacting them soon. Based on prior experience with dealing with them, I really don't expect much help. When I called them over 6 months ago about variances in the tests, I got the biggest line of "techno-jargo" about "sensitivity issues", etc... that it was mind boggling. There is no way to argue with that.

As much as anything, it frightens me to think of other folks, on this board, neighbors, ANYONE that is trusting their machine without question. ALL machines should be checked against others every now and then. Had I dosed based on the last incorrect reading, I would probably have had a MAJOR bleed and could possibly have faced my own demise. Now THAT would have made me MAD!

I will let you know what the results of the conversation. I am not looking forward to it. Thanks for asking, Evelyn.
mindy

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Mindy

Nope, THAT would have made you DEAD!!!, not MAD.

Good luck.....I don't expect you'll get too much.

Evelyn

 

[ALCapshaw2]

The ProTime said 4.5.

I am posting this primarily to advise ALL of you home testers to check your machine against your coag clinic, or a venipuncture at least quarterly. Had I dosed based on MY machine results today, I could well have had a serious bleed.

mindy

Mindy I think you have it BACKWARDS.

With an INR reading of 4.5 you would want to LOWER your dose to LOWER THE INR READING.

If that 4.5 reading was ERRONEOUSLY HIGH, your INR would DROP and you would be at more of a risk for STROKE than a bleed.

I hope I am interpreting this correctly.

'AL'

 

[Marty]

I had my annual physical last week with my PCP. In addition to the usual blood work he drew a sample for prothrombin time at the central lab. I did a Coaguchek finger stick when I got home from his office and got INR 3.1. He called me with his result 2 days later and the central lab got INR 3.1! I have a 6 year old "classic" Coaguchek. I don't know how long they are supposed to last but mine still seems to be OK.

 

[mbalfour]

Just checked ProTime Monitor

Just checked ProTime Monitor

Lab test drawn within 1 hour of readng on the ProTime Monitor. ProTime was 3.8 and lab was 3.5. Within 8%. Acceptable correlation. I check every 6 months and consistently correlate.