Re: Coumadin

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on November 29, 1998 at 14:56:36:

In Reply to: Coumadin posted by Lorenzo  on November 29, 1998 at 14:20:11:






I would like this message to get out to your viewers, and I would like your opinion on the following. We recently lost a dear friend to a brain hemorrhage.  Richard was on Coumadin for a slight atrial fibrilation. He slipped and fell in a sauna, and since he had no obvious injuries, continued with his daily activities.  In 24 hours he fell into a coma and in 48 hours was dead.  The Coumadin in his system prevented his blood from clotting and ultimately caused his hemorrhage.  We strongly believe that his physician did not properly warn him of the risks associated with this drug. Is the public aware of the serious dangers associated with this drug and do you believe it is being over prescribed?  Is it possible for somebody to investigate the excessive prescribing of this drug and the lack of education surrounding its usage? We hope to help prevent others from experiencing the unnecessary and untimely death of our dear friend Richard. We hope you can provide us some help here.
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Dear Lorenzo
I am sorry to hear about your friend.
However, you are wrong to blame his physician. In fact, the data in this country are overwhelming - coumadin is under-prescribed. There are many patients with atrial fibrillation who should be on coumadin to prevent a stroke, but are not because their doctors are worried about the small, but real, bleeding risks associated with coumadin. What happened to your friend was unfortunate and probably could not have been prevented by either him or his doctor. The issue has been well-studied; coumadin would prevent many strokes and deaths from atrial fibrillation - far more than the number of strokes and deaths it causes. I do agree with you that patients taking coumadin need to be careful and need periodic monitoring of their blood work to make sure the dose of coumadin is correct.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck.
Information provided here is of a general nature.  Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F15.