Laboratory Control of Coumarin Therapy
Authors: MORRIS J. SEIDE
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1962)

Article1 October 1962Laboratory Control of Coumarin TherapyThe Clinician's DilemmaMORRIS J. SEIDE, M.D.MORRIS J. SEIDE, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-57-4-572 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptSince their introduction into clinical medicine 20 years ago (1), coumarin drugs have become widely used. In the past 10 years, the number of patients maintained on long-term therapy has increased phenomenally. In the Hartford area, the clinical laboratories now perform about 500, and the hospital laboratories about 1,200 prothrombin tests each week, serving a population of about 350,000.The prothrombin test devised some 25 years ago by Quick (2) is widely used by clinicians as a guide to the dose of coumarin drug to be prescribed. This test is a bio-assay which requires meticulous technique, experienced technicians, and reliable...References1. LEHMANN J: Hypoprothrombinemia produced by methylene-bis- (hydroxycoumarin): use in thrombosis. Lancet 1: 318, 1942. CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. QUICKSTANLEY-BROWNBANCROFT AJMFW: A study of the coagulation defect in hemophilia and in jaundice. Amer. J. Med. Sci. 190: 501, 1935. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. ROBICHAUX EB: Oral anticoagulant therapy is only as good as its laboratory control. Missouri Med. 57: 296, 1960. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. RODMANPASTORHOXTER TBHBL: Problems encountered in the laboratory control of anticoagulant therapy with the one-stage determination of prothrombin complex activity. Amer. J. Med. 31: 555, 1961. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. QUICK AJ: Clinical interpretation of the one-stage prothrombin time. Circulation 24: 1422, 1961. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. RODMANPASTORFAWCETT TBHKC: A comparison of laboratory methods for the control of anticoagulant therapy with prothrombinopenic agents. I. The Quick one-stage procedure, the prothrombin and proconvertin test and the one-stage determination of true prothrombin activity. Amer. J. Med. 31: 547, 1961. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. BLANCHARD EW: The laboratory control of anticoagulant therapy: factors determining the accuracy of one-stage prothrombin determinations. Amer. J. Med. Technol. 19: 182, 1953. MedlineGoogle Scholar8. POLLARDHAMILTONCHRISTENSENACHOR JWMJNARW: Problems associated with long-term anticoagulant therapy: observations in 139 cases. Circulation 25: 311, 1962. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Hartford, ConnecticutFrom the Department of Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut.Presented at the Forty-third Annual Session of The American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 9-13, 1962.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Morris J. Seide, M.D., 85 Jefferson Street, Hartford, Connecticut. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byNatural killer cell activity in patients with liver cirrhosis relative to severity of liver damageProthrombin Time: Percent vs SecondsDAVID PRAGER, M.D.How Effective Is Clinical Control of Anticoagulant Therapy?Problems in the management of long-term anticoagulant therapy in coronary heart disease 1 October 1962Volume 57, Issue 4Page: 572-581KeywordsBlood plasmaClinical laboratoriesCoumarinsDrugsHospital medicineLaboratory testsResearch laboratoriesTechnicians Issue Published: 1 October 1962 PDF downloadLoading ...