Home monitoring of warfarin therapy in children with a whole blood prothrombin time monitor

Abstract We prospectively evaluated a capillary whole blood prothrombin time (PT) monitor (Biotrack, Ciba Corning) in an outpatient pediatric anticoagulation clinic (40 clinic patients) and in age-matched healthy subjects (30 control subjects). Subsequently, 23 children requiring warfarin therapy were placed on a home program (home patients) using the PT monitor; their parents were trained and the results followed by clinic staff. The PT results were reported as internationalized normalized ratios (INRs). The laboratory and PT-monitor INR values were similar for the clinic patients and the control subjects ( y = 0.76× + 0.38; r = 0.93; p EDIATR 1995;127:389-94)