International Normalized Ratio and Prothrombin Time: The authors reply

Falsely elevated prothrombin international normalized ratio values.

International normalized ratio (INR) monitoring is essential during oral anticoagulation therapy to minimize bleeding complications and thrombotic events. Laboratory technicians cannot differentiate falsely elevated INR results due to problems in drawing blood from truly elevated INR values, but the extent of this phenomenon is unclear. We determined the proportion of patients with INR values o...

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Reemergence of the International Normalized Ratio for the standardization of prothrombin time.

A survey of physicians demonstrated that half had knowledge of the International Normalized Ratio (INR) but none used the value for monitoring their patients because it was not available from the Coagulation Laboratory. The Laboratory then provided the INR value at a physician's request. A six month review of prothrombin time (PT) results showed that only the physicians from the Cardiology Clin...

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Evaluation of the Steelex M600H coagulometer prothrombin time-international normalized ratio assay with Steelex test reagents

INTRODUCTION The aim of the present study was to validate prothrombin time (PT) international normalized ratio (INR) results obtained using Steelex test reagents and a Steelex coagulometer (Steelex Scientific Instrument Company, Beijing, China), in comparison with use of a well-established standard test employing Pacific Hemostasis reagents (Fisher Diagnostics, Middletown, VA, USA) and Teco Coa...