In cases when a certain person may be at risk of developing blood clots or is already suffering from this life-threatening condition, an anticoagulation therapy is quite often prescribed. The main purpose of this therapy is to slow down the production of harmful blood clots without having a negative effect or reducing the ability of the blood to coagulate. This can also have serious and severe consequences.
Be that as it may, it is important to know that different people respond and react differently to anticoagulants. There are multiple factors that can influence the body's reaction to anticoagulants. These include weight, diet, genetics, additional health disorders and interactions with other medications. For these, and other reasons patients who have anticoagulants prescribed as part of their therapy need to be careful about the doses of the drugs they receive, and they also have to monitor the responses and reactions to the treatment.
The most effective way to determine the correct medication dose the patient needs and the way the body responds is to measure the time it takes for the blood to clot. This is known as the prothrombin test. It is also referred to as the INR test because the results are reported in the International Normalised Ratio, or INR. Routine testing can help monitor the patient's response individually and adjust the dosage of the anticoagulants as needed. This test can be performed in medical laboratories, but, it is good and convenient to know that there is the option for self-test with the help of a special coagucheck testing device.
This home-testing option is most beneficial for patients who have to check their coagulation frequently, for those who have trouble leaving their home often, and for those who simply want to be self-sufficient. Moreover, a coagucheck device only requires a small drop of blood from the finger whereas most labs take a full blood sample. All in all, using a coagucheck is a much less invasive option.
After the patient takes the samples and reads the result using the device, he/she can then call the doctor and get advice or feedback. These devices are usually small and quite lightweight, meaning that patients can take it with them when travelling. No disruption of the regular check-ups, thus having great peace of mind knowing that they follow the recommended protocol. Generally, patients who do follow the recommendations and do the INR self-checks have a higher chance of getting the correct therapy and run a lower risk of side effects and other harmful results.
