G
Guest
One of my long-time patients was admitted to the hospital this week with severe abdominal pain. Her INR was 2.4. The did a colonoscopy and removed a polyp. The next day her INR was 2.1.
When I went to see her in the hospital, she said that she had such severe pain the day before that she had not eaten nor taken any medication. She also had severe diarrhea. She lives just under 100 miles from the hospital out in the boonies. When she came in they decided that she had, in effect, prepped herself for the colonoscopy (except for the INR) and the doc decided to go ahead. She experienced no bleeding. She told me this and although she seemed clear-headed, I thought she was wrong, so I went a read her chart.
Sure enough they had done a colonoscopy and polypectomy and the gastroenterologist noted the INR and that he had decided to proceed. She had another warfarin the evening after the procedure.
(Maybe the doc was going on vacation the next day and didn't want to miss a billing but whatever reason the fact remains that I just saw a colonoscopy and polypectomy on a fully anticoagulated patient with positive results.)
When I went to see her in the hospital, she said that she had such severe pain the day before that she had not eaten nor taken any medication. She also had severe diarrhea. She lives just under 100 miles from the hospital out in the boonies. When she came in they decided that she had, in effect, prepped herself for the colonoscopy (except for the INR) and the doc decided to go ahead. She experienced no bleeding. She told me this and although she seemed clear-headed, I thought she was wrong, so I went a read her chart.
Sure enough they had done a colonoscopy and polypectomy and the gastroenterologist noted the INR and that he had decided to proceed. She had another warfarin the evening after the procedure.
(Maybe the doc was going on vacation the next day and didn't want to miss a billing but whatever reason the fact remains that I just saw a colonoscopy and polypectomy on a fully anticoagulated patient with positive results.)
