Improved Control for Anti-Coagulation Therapy

A new communication device helps clinicians obtain an overview of a patient's coagulation monitoring test results, making confident decision-making easier and leading to more successful therapy.

The CoaguChek XS Connect device is a small, compact, and easy to use device used to download international normalized ratio (INR) results from a CoaguChek XS system to a computer for efficient interpretation and subsequent action. The device provides customizable reports and trend graphs, which can be reviewed on the computer screen, stored, and printed out. Only minimum computer literacy is required, and no software needs to be installed; the device is simply plugged into a universal serial bus (USB) port, and is recognized by the computer. The USB port also provides the power for the battery-free device. Results from the memory of the CoaguChek XS instrument can be viewed with a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, stored, or sent by e-mail. Data transfer to other software applications allows healthcare professionals to collect and further process patient data in their own office's environment. The CoaguChek XS system and the Connect device are products of Roche (Basel, Switzerland).

"The new CoaguChek XS Connect device has been designed to make these tasks easy, fast and convenient,” said Patrick Wieghardt, of Roche Professional Diagnostics. "Only three steps are required to download test results from a CoaguChek XS meter to a computer. This means, reduced risk of incorrect result reporting, and an easy-to-review overview for patients and healthcare professionals within seconds.”

Oral anti-coagulation therapy is an important treatment for patients with specific medical conditions such as mechanical heart valves, atrial fibrillation, or thromboembolic venous diseases. Frequent monitoring to support drug-dosing adjustments and to stay within the therapeutic range has proved to be an essential element in the success of every therapy.


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