IS RESTARTING WARFARIN THERAPY AFTER A WAFARIN-ASSOCIATED INTRACEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE SAFE?
Restarting warfarin therapy in patients with a recent warfarin-associated intracerebral hemorrhage (WAICH) is associated with a low risk of recurrence. However, patients receiving this therapy are subject to substantial risks, reported Daniel O. Claassen, MD, and colleagues in the October Archives of Neurology. The researchers analyzed patients admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of WAICH from November 2001 through December 2005. Patients were identified retrospectively, and follow-up data were obtained through a review of medical records and mailed questionnaires. The restarted therapy group included patients who resumed warfarin therapy within 60 days of the primary ICH. Those who restarted after 60 days were included in the nonrestarted group. According to Dr. Claassen, from the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and coauthors, of the 88 patients with WAICH, 52 (59%) were discharged from the hospital and 36 (41%) died in the hospital or in hosp
