Laboratory control over warfarin therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome

AIM: To elicit the most sensitive and reliable method of control over administration of indirect anticoagulants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty patients with acute coronary syndrome were studied. They received varfarin under the control of international normalized ratio (INR) calculated by the tables in cases of prothrombin time (PT) estimation on a stationary turbidynamic hemocoagulometer from venous and capillary blood by thromboplastins. In parallel, PT was estimated from whole capillary blood on individual portable coagulometer "Coagu Check C" by means of standard test-strip (prothrombin test--PT) on the study day 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 and 21. The results were assessed on the study day 21. All the patients were treated in hospital then outpatiently. RESULTS: The assessment of PT results implied calculation of variation coefficient (VC) and error (m) by each index obtained with thromboplastins. VS and m were the lowest when INR was made from whole capillary blood on coagulometer "Coagu Check C". CONCLUSION: An optimal method of control over efficacy of varfarin treatment is calculation of INR from capillary blood on coagulometer "Coagu Check C" as calculation of INR from capillary and venous blood on stationary coagulometer is complicated and reliability depends on thromboplastin used.