Patient Self-Testing of Prothrombin Time After Hip Arthroplasty

ABSTRACT: We determined whether total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients could test their own prothrombin time reliably over 6 weeks of anticoagulation prophylaxis with a portable device   that measures prothrombin time and whether selftesting would improve or maintain the  quality of care at a lower cost than our standard procedure. Forty-six THA patients  participated in the study and were compared with a matched group managed with our  standard protocol using a home health-care nurse. Seven patients (15%) could not be trained to  obtain the blood sample, and others required multiple finger sticks to obtain valid results.  However, the results from the 29 patients completing the study showed high reliability when  compared with results obtained through standard protocol. Self-testing saved about $260 per  patient over the cost of venipuncture. Patient self-testing of prothrombin time using the device in this study is reliable and cost-effective for monitoring the anticoagulation status after THA in a select group of elderly patients.