Objective To evaluate the quality of anticoagulant therapy in patients with mechanical prosthetic valve replacement during early period through time in therapeutic range(TTR) and fraction of time in therapeutic range(FTTR), and to provide an objective evidence for further improving quality of anticoagulant therapy. Methods All the patients were followed and registered in hospital and at outpatient clinic from July 2012 through April 2014, with a maximum of 6 months after surgery. Targeted international normalized rate (INR) was 1.60 to 2.20, acceptable INR was 1.50 to 2.30. And warfarin weekly dosage adjustment was used as the strategy of anticoagulation management. Adjusting the warfarin dosage when INR was beyond acceptable INR. Events of bleeding, thrombogenesis and thromboembolism, TTR and FTTR of these patients during the follow-up were collected to evaluate quality of anticoagulant therapy in these patients. Results A total 477 patients and 2 755 reports of INR values were included for data analysis. The follow-up time was 78 918 days. Values of INR varied from 0.92 to 7.72(1.83±0.64). Required weekly doses of warfarin in target INR and acceptable INR were 5.00–35.00(18.15±3.99) mg/week and 5.00–39.38(18.29±4.08) mg/week. TTR of target INR and acceptable INR was 36.85%(27 079.5 d/78 918.0 d) and 49.84% (39 331.5 d/78 918.0 d), respectively. FTTR of target INR and acceptable INR was 37.31% (1 028 times/2 755 times), 50.01% (1 378 times/2 755 times), respectively. TTR of target INR and acceptable INR was 46.04%(3 902.5 d/8 475.5 d), 59.49%(5 042 d/8 475.5 d) when the patients’ follow-up was up to six months and FTTR of target INR and acceptable INR value of these patients was 46.81%(206 times/440 times), 60.45%(266 times/440 times). During the follow-up, there were 3 thromboembolism events, 1 transient physical abnormal activity, and 1 thrombogenesis in the left atrium, and there was no bleeding and death events. Conclusion The strategy of anticoagulation management used in our study is reasonable. In order to further improve the patients’ quality of anticoagulant therapy, it is necessary to start anticoagulation after operation as soon as possible, to strengthen the education of patients with anticoagulant knowledge and to increase INR test frequency properly.
Objective To evaluate the long-term anticoagulation outcomes of target international normalized ratio (INR) 1.60 to 2.20 and weekly dosage adjustment of warfarin in patients after mechanical heart valve replacement. Methods Outpatients after mechanical heart valve replacement at least 6 months were registered continually from July 2011 to July 2016 in department of cardiothoracic surgery at Zigong No.4 People's Hospital and West China Hospital. There were 1 690 females (70.62%) and 703 males (29.38%) with a median age of 47 years, ranging from 14 to 80 years. All patients were followed up for 6-61 months. Target INR was 1.60 to 2.20 and warfarin dosage were adjusted weekly. Unexpected bleeding, thrombogenesis and thromboembolism, time in therapeutic range (TTR) and fraction of TTR (FTTR) were recorded and calculated to evaluate the outcome of anticoagulation management. Results A total of 2 393 patients with 26 521 INR values were included for data analysis. INR values varied from 0.90-8.39 (1.82±0.45) and required weekly doses of warfarin were 1.75-61.25 (21.72±7.39) mg. TTR of target INR and acceptable INR was 59.38% (1 449 514.0 days/2 441 060.0 days) and 73.57% (1 795 971.0 days/2 441 060.0 days), respectively. FTTR of target INR and acceptable INR were 50.71% (13 450 times/26 521 times), 65.25% (17 305 times/26 521 times). During the follow-up , anticoagulation-related complications included: cerebral infarction in 21 patients (complete recovery in 18 patients, physical activity disorder in 3 patients), cerebral hemorrhage in 4 patients (death in 1 patient, complete recovery in 3 patients), severe gastrointestinal bleeding in 3 patients (completely recovered) and uterine bleeding in 1 patient (surgical removal of the uterus). Conclusion Target INR 1.60–2.20 and warfarin weekly dosage adjustment for patients after mechanical heart valve replacement is reasonable and safe.
ObjectiveTo explore the anticoagulant strategy of adjusting the dose of warfarin at different stages after mechanical valve replacement of mitral valve.MethodsClinical data of a total of 302 patients, including 76 males and 226 females, with an average age of 50.1±10.1 years, who underwent mechanical mitral valve replacement in the Chinese adult cardiac surgery database from 2013 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the dose adjustment strategy of taking warfarin, the patients were divided into a D group (adjusting warfarin dose in days) and a W group (adjusting warfarin dose in weeks) to evaluate the anti-coagulation effect of warfarin.ResultsThe total follow-up time was 423277 d (1159.7 years). There was no significant difference in the overall anticoagulant strength, and the warfarin dose adjusted in days was better in the early postoperative period (P<0.05), especially in patients over 60 years. It was better to adjust warfarin dose in weeks in the middle and long periods (P<0.05), especially in patients ≤40 years. In terms of the stability of anticoagulation, it was better to adjust the dosage of warfarin in weeks (P<0.05). It was better to adjust the dosage of warfarin in weeks for early, middle- and long-term anticoagulant therapy after operation (P<0.05), especially in the females aged >40 and ≤50 years.ConclusionWithin the target range of international normalized ratio (1.5-2.5), the anticoagulant strategy of adjusting warfarin dose in days after mechanical valve replacement of mitral valve can achieve a better anticoagulant strength, and adjusting the dosage of warfarin in weeks is better in the middle- and long-term after operation. In general, the anticoagulant effect is more stable in the short term when warfarin dose is adjusted on a weekly basis.