S. Bertil Olsson, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology at Lund University, Lund, Sweden discussed computer-assisted warfarin dosing software. Studies have demonstrated the superiority of computer-assisted anticoagulation going back to the late 1980s, Dr. Olsson said. “Computer-assisted dosing shortens the time to reach target dose, adds confidence for both patient and provider, and increases total time a patient is inside the INR window.

The botton line, according to Dr. Olsson, is that “warfarin is still needed. No new drug truly replaces it yet, and so we must attend to dosing success. And with maintenance doses so variable in patients, we look forward to improved and reliable management by using a computer-based system. AURICULA will be available on-line, anybody can access it from anywhere, and we hope to see wide use of the program.”