CoaguChek XS

I've done this procedure for Roche CoaguChek XS and I"m doing it right now for the CoagSense as well. It is a BEAR for me. Maybe someone else has a better way, but how we tried to do it: Our AntiCoag Clinic uses an older CoagSense. We were validating the Roche CoaguChek for ACC patients against our in-lab Stago. The patient would have to agree to getting poked 2x in finger (1x for CoagSense, 1x for CoaguChek) and then have 1 tube of blood drawn for Stago. This did not go well. It took 1 year and a pandemic to complete (during the first couple of months of pandemic our ACC dept stopped seeing patients so they all had to come in for venous draw anyway - we asked them to let us poke 1 finger to compare). We were able to correlate up to INR of 4.0 with Stago. 

Now I'm trying to compare new CoagSense against Stago, while still using old CoagSense for actual ACC results. It's going about as well as last time - people just don't want to do it, even if offered free parking/having a phlebotomist in the room to take blood (so they don't have to wait in lab). 

We also do new lot comparisons between CoagSense in ACC and Stago in lab - that is a little easier since it's one finger poke and one blood draw (and fewer samples) (20 patients vs 30-40 with new method validation). Where it gets tricky is on the higher end - it's hard to find patients in our ACC clinic that have an INR of >3.5, so it's been hard to get our range validated over that. I'm running AK Calibrants today with Stago and the new CoagSense, but I don't love doing that because the sample type is not the same. But I also can't wait another year/bad pandemic flare up to finish this comparison.

Sylvia, I am going to contact you directly about this. Sorry it may be after we do or do not have to evacuate for the 2nd hurricane in the gulf.

At my previous lab, we had a coag clinic for our Coumadin patients.  When they wanted to switch to Coagucheck, we performed a correlation study against the MLA in the main lab.  We would draw the blood into a syringe, fill the blue top and then use the leftover blood in the syringe to run the Coagucheck.  We wrote down the POC results with the accession of the lab INR, then later in the day look up the lab results and record the comparison.  Only 1 venipuncture for the patient and no fingerstick until we made the switch.

Peggy, praying for your safety during this pandemic and hurricane season!

You can also use the discard tube for your CoaguChek or CoagSense and the blue-top tube for your lab instrument. 

I would caution against using the discard tube.  So many of the plastic vacutainers have a clot activator these days and we were afraid it would interfere with the CaoguChek results.

BD carries a red top tube ( has colorless cap over the red top ) Ref # 366408. It has no additive.  It is chemically clean. We use it to draw blood for PT/INR for the I-STAT and Coaguchek when we do studies.

That is very kind. Thank you. The good news with hurricanes is that you get advance notice...the bad news is nothing is a sure thing until after it hits. And then there is still an argument where it came on land and who should have done what.

The 'zone' is never as clear cut as determining a QC range!

Take are all!

Maybe it depends on the brand of the 'discard tube'? And actually looking at whatever tube you were considering as a discard tube to be sure it is manufacturered as a discard tube. 

When we first found out the brand we buy came out with a 'discard tube', the manufacturer of that tube said guaranteed there is nothing in that tube.  

Thanks, Pet!