title: Anticoagulation early after mechanical valve replacement: improved management with patient self-testing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Self-testing to determine the international normalized ratio improves management with warfarin and reduces the risks of adverse events. Self-testing usually begins several weeks after hospital dismissal after valve replacement. We aimed to compare the in-hospital initiation of international normalized ratio self-testing with usual care in mechanical heart valve recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 200 adult mechanical heart valve recipients were randomly assigned to in-hospital international normalized ratio self-testing instruction or usual care. Instruction for self-testing patients began on the fourth postoperative day. The patients were followed up for 3 months to compare the number of international normalized ratio tests, percentage of time in the therapeutic range, and adverse events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. During the first 3 postoperative months, the usual-care group underwent an average of 10 international normalized ratio tests, and the self-testing group completed 14 international normalized ratio tests. The mean ± SD percentage of international normalized ratio tests within the therapeutic range was 45% ± 22% for the usual-care group and 52% ± 22% for the self-testing group (P = .05). Within 90 days after dismissal, transient ischemic attack occurred in 1 patient in the usual-care group and 2 patients in the self-testing group. Bleeding complications occurred in 3 patients in the usual-care group and 5 patients in the self-testing group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Management of anticoagulation with warfarin after mechanical valve replacement is improved with self-testing, even during the early postoperative phase when international normalized ratio testing is performed frequently. Although the incidence of adverse events was similar in the 2 groups, better control of the international normalized ratio would be expected to improve outcome in large populations of patients.
authors.affiliation: Section of Congenital Heart Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz, USA.
authors.forename: Jess L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Harold M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Burkhart
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dearani
authors.forename: Lyle D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.forename: Rakesh M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Suri
authors.forename: Hartzell V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Schaff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012648:Self Care; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014859:Warfarin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D014859:Warfarin