Warfarin Therapy
Abstract
Warfarin (brand name Coumadin) is a medication for people who are at increased risk of making blood clots due to an abnormal heart rhythm, certain replaced heart valves, and some clotting disorders. Warfarin is also used in patients who have had blood clots in the heart, brain, lungs, and legs to keep a clot from getting larger. The goal of warfarin treatment is to slow the clotting of blood, not to stop clotting. The effect of warfarin must be checked closely (i.e. at least once a month and sometimes more often) with blood testing. The blood test used to measure the time it takes for blood to clot is called a prothrombin time (PT) and is reported as the International Normalized Ratio (INR). If the INR is below the target range there is a risk of clotting. If the INR is above the target range there is an increased risk of bleeding. A change in daily living, such as the type of foods we eat or drugs we take, also can affect how warfarin works in the body.
References
Coumadin.gov
NIH
UpToDate.
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Accepted 2014-10-27
Published 2014-11-07