Lab work done overseas?
 

We will be travelling in late August. Because my husband recently had a clot removed it will be necessary to get pro-time done after one month overthere (we will be gone about two months.) Will this be a problem?. Thought maybe could get it in Edinbourough as at least they speak English there. Would there lab values be the same? Has anyone encountered this problem?

I'm not sure I'd be too thrilled about get on a long flight if I'd just had a thrombectomy, but I guess if you're going to do it you may as well be on coumadin. <BR><BR>Any lab test you have performed will have an appropriate lab range against which your physician will compare your results. PT's are done elsewhere in the world, and they are more reproducible (due to more uniformity in substrate) than they used to be, but you'll still want the reference value for comparison.

Ask for a copy of the analytical procedure/method that your lab uses in the States and inquire at the local hospital/lab once overseas for a similar analysis. You probably want a lab with some sort of state certification or credentials in case you need to bring the results back for record an/or follow-up. Are you concerned about cost? You may want to keep a receipt and submit for reimbursement.

Most states in the US require a physician's order to perform any such test. Recommend you discuss with his doctor before you go.

For anyone traveling in the UK who would like to find a list of doctors who could treat specific problems, check www.specialistinfo.com before you go--you can select from a very detailed list of problems and the site will give you the names and contact details (NHS and private practice) for specialists across the UK who meet your needs.

the pro time results can vary . the control value must be known to get the results correctly. this is not a problem since they can do an inr test and the results are in international units and standardized. you should get a doctors letter to get the test done and have someone read the results there as sthe coumadin dose may need to be altered. frankly 1 month is to long and i would opt for the test every 2 weeks to be saFE

Thanks for all the info. He is being monitored every week at this time and dosage adjusted accordingly. We have been told that by that time once a month will be sufficient. We have also considered waiting til we get into Germany and try to get it at a military base. The reason we are going at this time is that we have purchased tickets and signed up for Elderhostal in Ireland.

Its a troll, people. An obvious one, too.

Barbara: Where do you live? I find it really odd that your husbands PT is being monitored and not his INR.BTW I'm an RN

Maybe a troll, maybe not, but the use of the term PT (for prothrombin time) instead of INR (which is a ratio of the prothrombin time against a standard, so measuring the same thing) does not make me suspicious, as plenty of physicians (and their patients) still refer to the test as a pro-time. Old habits die hard.<BR><BR>And no, I'm not an RN, but I am in position to know.

No I am not a troll. We happen to belong to Kaiser Health plan. He had an excellant Vascular surgeon doing his surgery. I am very comfortable with our care. I also happen to be a retired nurse.

Unless you are retired military, you can not just show up at a military installation and demand healthcare. Since your husband is recovering from a serious illness, is this really the time to travel? if you need to find specialized care in other countries, to me this seems a bit extreme...

Yes we are retired military. I didn't plan on "just showing up" We are traveling with the blessings of our medical staff. He will be six months post-op by then. His pro-times which at this point checked each week are great. We are also traveling to see our daughter who lives in Ireland.