Long term side effets or Coumadin

Posted By Tom on September 30, 1998 at 00:38:20:







I am 25, and have recently undergone a procedure called Bentels procedure, in which my aortic valve and my ascending aorta were replaced.
As a result, I will be taking coumadin for the rest of my life.  When I ask about the side effects of long term use of the drug, my physician tells me that many people live long lives when taking it regularly, but does not directly answer the question.
Can you give any more detail about specific side effects of long term warfarin use?
I am also interested in any statistics on life expectancies etc of patients my age who may have undergone the same procedure.
Many thanks for taking the time to answer these question.