Siemens Healthineers announced FDA 510(k) clearance for a hand-held portable coagulation analyzer. The Xprecia Stride Coagulation Analyzer delivers fast, reliable Prothrombin Time International Normalized Ratio (PT/INR) testing for point-of-care monitoring and management of oral anticoagulation therapy with warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist.

Millions of PT/INR tests are administered world-wide each year as part of therapy monitoring for patients with a host of conditions, including atrial fibrillation, heart valve replacement surgery, deep vein thrombosis and congenital heart defects, among others. The Xprecia Stride Coagulation Analyzer was specifically designed to meet the growing demand for fast and reliable PT/INR results in physician offices and walk-in clinics to help healthcare professionals make informed decisions about patient care.

Winner of multiple international design awards such as the Red Dot Award: Product Design for 2015 and the iFDesign Award, the analyzer includes a number of innovations and features not found on most other point-of-care analyzers. No bigger than a smartphone and weighing just 10.5 oz, the Xprecia Stride Coagulation Analyzer can be held at virtually any angle and brought directly to the patient's finger for efficient and comfortable blood sample application.

"Among the many challenges of point of care testing, accuracy and safety have become paramount to both the user and patient. With the Xprecia Stride analyzer, Siemens Healthineers delivers on the promise to bring a safe and lab-accurate test directly to the patient," said Michael Sampson, Senior Vice President, Point of Care, Siemens Healthineers, North America. "The Xprecia Stride analyzer is designed to be safe, efficient and ergonomically friendly. By adding the Xprecia Stride analyzer to our existing product portfolio in the U.S., we now have the ability to cover the full range of hemostasis testing from the hospital lab to the physician's office."

Today's busy healthcare professional is challenged by a complex work environment and heavy patient workflow. The Xprecia Stride analyzer was designed to address these concerns through an intuitive user interface and features such as an integrated barcode scanner to simplify data capture and improve patient workflow. To further enhance usability, the Xprecia Stride features simple icons and animation in a color display more commonly found in mobile devices than medical instruments.

The Xprecia Stride analyzer uses fresh capillary (fingerstick) whole blood and results are expressed as INR. It utilizes the same Dade® Innovin® reagent used by Siemens Healthineers central lab analyzers to minimize any potential for variability. Studies have shown the performance to be equivalent to a reference laboratory hemostasis system,1 with results available within minutes.

Safety features include a first-of-its kind test strip eject button that allows the user to eject a used test strip and easily dispose of it without touching it, minimizing potential biohazard exposure.

When taken together, all of these innovations ultimately enable better patient care as point-of-care PT/INR testing becomes critical to healthcare providers managing the growing number of patients that require anticoagulation therapy.