Monitoring Warfarin

 


Warfarin must be monitored to ensure it is working effectively and being used safely. Achieving the correct warfarin dosage can be difficult but is extremely important. If the dose of warfarin is too low, the patient is at risk of developing harmful blood clots. If the dose of warfarin is too high, the patient may be at risk of serious bleeding. It can be monitored by drawing blood from a vein and sending the blood to an accredited laboratory to test, or it can be monitored by testing blood from a fingerstick with an pt INR test meter outside of a laboratory. INR test meters may be prescribed to patients for use in the home, and they may also be used by health care providers at the point of care, such as a health care setting.



How often an INR test meter is used to monitor warfarin, and the results a patient should expect, will be based on recommendations from the patient’s health care provider. Anticoagulation Machine An INR target range is set by a health care provider. Heart Valve Disease It is typically between 2.0 and 3.0 for basic blood-thinning needs, though the range may vary based on a patient’s specific conditions. An INR above the patient-specific target range may increase the risk of bleeding, while an INR below the target range may increase the risk of developing a blood clot.
Patients should work with their health care provider to develop a plan for achieving and maintaining a target INR; recognize when there is a problem; and know when to contact their health care provider.

The information and resources on this website are intended to provide useful information for patients and caregivers who are using INR test meters in the home and for health care providers using INR test meters in a clinical setting.

 

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