Blood Thinner Warfarin After Trauma Can Be Dangerous, Study Finds

Using the common blood thinning drug warfarin to prevent blood clots and heart attacks in people who have recently suffered some sort of traumatic injury can be deadly, a new study has found.

Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center studied more than one million trauma patients who were treated with warfarin at the time of their injuries. They found such patients were more likely to die compared to trauma patients who were not taking the drug at the time of their traumatic injury, according to a Reuters news report.

The use of warfarin was found to cause a 30-percent increase in the risk of death among trauma patients and a 20-percent increase among those ages 65 and older. The researchers said other factors, such as heart problems, may be the reason for the increased death risk. Also, the study did not find a definite link between warfarin use and death following traumatic injury.

Increasing Use of Warfarin Noted

The research team members were surprised at how many of the trauma patients had warfarin in their veins. Four percent of injured adults in 2006 were using warfarin, which is nearly double the 2.3 percent seen in 2002, the study concluded.

From 2002 to 2006, the rate of patients older than age 65 who used warfarin increased from 7.3 percent to nearly 13 percent, according to the study.

Don’t Trash Your Warfarin Just Yet

Since traumatic injuries are rare among seniors, there is no reason for elderly patients to stop taking warfarin if the drug is necessary to prevent blood clots, stroke, and other potentially fatal conditions, the study’s authors said.

The results of the study were presented Thursday at the American College of Surgeons annual meeting in Chicago, Reuters reports.

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