INR Testing

[WendyD]

Hello to you all,
Ernie is feeling a lot better, 4 weeks post op.
His INR seems to have stabilised at 2.6, the gap between the last 2 tests, was a week.
The nurse who gives us the results said that we should now wait 2 weeks until the next INR blood test.
Is that too long a period, only 4 weeks post-op,are we over reacting to be worried?

Thanks
Ernie & Wendy

 

[Ross]

If he's in range and has been fairly stable, this is the appropriate thing to do. If it remains stable, they'll probably move out to 4 weeks. Don't worry anyhow. During recovery, the INR seems to like to go all over the place. It takes a bit to find the sweet spot. It will be fine in time.

 

[Guest]

The way I do it for a new person;

If it has been one week since their last test AND the INR is in range - follow-up in two weeks.

If it has been two weeks since their last test AND the INR is in range -follow-up in four weeks.

This doesn't mean that the warfarin dose will not need adjusting but it seldom gets to the "OMG" level and if it does, it doesn't stay there very long.