Glossary - iLine microsystems microINR Instrucciones De Uso

7.5 GLOSSARY

Capillary blood: blood from the smallest blood vessels in the
body, usually obtained by puncturing a fingertip.
Capillary fingerstick: small puncture on a finger to obtain
capillary blood.
Chip: disposable element inserted into the Meter. Serves to
enter the sample for the INR test.
Control channel: channel used to measure the normalised
coagulation time in order to detect degradation of the
reagents.
Entry channel: slot on the bottom of the Chip that receives
the blood.
International Normalized Ratio [INR]: standardised
prothrombin time measurement system that accounts for the
different sensitivity of the thromboplastins used in different
methods. The INR results from different prothrombin time
measurement systems can be compared to each other.
Lancet: piercing tool used to make a small cut or puncture to
collect a small drop of blood, which will be used for the INR test.
Microcapillary: site on which the INR test takes place.
Microfluidics: technology for storing, dosing, transferring and/
or mixing small volumes of fluid to cause a chemical reaction.
microINR Meter: electronic device that serves to conduct INR
tests.
Microreactor: area of the Chip meant to store the reagents.
Mini-USB connector: connector on the top front of the
microINR Meter.
Oral anticoagulant therapy: orally administered treatment
that inhibits or interferes with the coagulation of the blood.
Plasma: liquid part of the blood.
Prothrombin time (PT): coagulation analysis performed to
analyse the extrinsic coagulation pathway.
Quality control: tests to prove that a system performs
correctly providing reliable results.
Reagent: substance used to cause a chemical reaction in
order to measure a substance or process (such as the INR test).
Remnant: small amount of excess blood that remains on the
entry channel of the Chip.
Therapeutic range: safe range of INR values. The physician
determines a specific therapeutic range for each patient.
Thromboplastin: A substance used by blood platelets and
combined with calcium that converts prothrombin (protein)
into thrombin (enzyme) as part of the clotting cascade.
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