Over recent years – and thanks to your fundraising and donations – Children’s Heart Surgery Fund have provided hundreds of INR machines to patients with congenital heart disease, and their families. But, what are INR kits, and why are they necessary?
What does INR mean?
Patients with congenital heart disease – of all ages – are sometimes prescribed drugs (Warfarin) to help thin the blood and prevent harmful blood clots.
Whilst a patient is on this medicine, their ‘INR’ needs to be calculated. INR is the measurement of how long it takes the blood to clot.
INR stands for ‘international normalised ratio’. It’s a blood test that measures how long it takes for blood to form a clot. INR tests help doctors to work out the best dose of drugs a patient needs.
An INR result will vary according to a patient’s age, the medicines they take and their health status.
INR machines are life-changing pieces of kit for CHD patients of all ages.
Roman from Doncaster is 5 years old. He was born with a large hole in his heart and his pulmonary veins needed redirecting.
Roman’s mum Lauren told us about his journey so far:
“He received open heart surgery at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit in March 2024 and is now recovering well at home after his surgeon successfully fixed what she wasn’t sure could be technically possible. Roman’s INR readings are extremely important to ensure the corrected veins are not at risk of clotting.”
What are INR machines?
An INR machine is a portable device which allows an individual to measure their own INR at frequent intervals.
This is done via a machine which involves a finger prick, and a small amount of blood is analysed. Results can then be telephoned into the Warfarin clinic.
Heart hero Roman shows us how it’s done…
“It is so important that we can measure a patients INR to minimise the risks of taking Warfarin.
“Needing to attend hospital and having regular blood tests can be a traumatic experience and have a negative emotional impact on our patients. Having the ability to test the INR at home via finger prick, at a time convenient to the child and family can help to minimise these negative experiences. The children when able can be taught to use the machine themselves and this therefore empowers them to have greater control for their own health needs.
“INR kits can be taken on holiday, enabling our patients and families to check their INR levels all over the world! The kits enable our patients to travel with the reassurance that they can continue to check their levels whilst away.
“The INR kits can also be used on our adult patients too, continuing to empower patients to be involved in their own health care and reduce the negative impacts of taking Warfarin on everyday life.
“We are so grateful to CHSF for funding this equipment, we are privileged to see first-hand what a positive impact these machines have on our patients and families.”
To summarise, what are the benefits of INR machines?
Research shows a child’s quality of life is greatly improved by doing their INR at home and not having to miss school by coming to hospital
They allow patients to live more independently, giving them more control over their care and not needing to go to hospital constantly for blood tests.
Adult patients don’t need to take time off work for example, and can go on holiday knowing they can still manage their INR levels.
Roman’s mum sees them as invaluable to her son’s continued care:
“Thank you so much for sourcing us an INR machine to take home, the thought of having to do daily blood tests at the hospital was overwhelming for us as parents, but especially for Roman!
“He’d been through so much already and he was scared… the only alternative would have been travelling to Leeds daily for a finger prick test. Due to CHSF getting to know Roman and realising what would be the best option for him, you were able to fund us our own INR Machine to take home!
“This put a massive smile on Roman’s face and allowed us to have a stress/fear free recovery phase for Roman. We are so grateful to CHSF, thank you so much.”
It’s no doubt that INR kits make a tremendous difference to a patient’s quality of life. Can you help us fund these vital machines by giving a regular donation?
100% of our funding comes from you – our amazing supporters. By giving a regular donation to CHSF, you enable us to plan for the future while saving lives today. Thank you.
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