Warfarin Associated with Greater Bleeding in the Brain and Risk of Death

Results Found in Patients with INRs of 3 or More

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that some people who take warfarin (Coumadin), are at increased risk for heavier bleeding in the brain and death.

The retrospective study, published in Neurology, September 30, also reports that the people who were taking warfarin had significantly larger hematomas than those not on the drug.

Warfarin is used to thin the blood and reduce the risk of ischemic strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients on warfarin must have their international normalization ratios (INR) done on a regular basis, to monitor clotting ability. The ideal INR is between 2 and 3. Patients who had significant bleeding in the brain in this study had INRs of greater than 3, which was 33% of the warfarin users.

In total, data from 258 participants were evaluated, all of whom had suffered a brain hemorrhage, and 51 of whom were on warfarin. The average age was 69 years.

SEPT-30-08: Warfarin Use with High INR Linked to More Bleeding [MEDPAGE TODAY: WARFARIN BLEEDING]

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Published on Sep-30-08