What is your I.N.R. count in your blood?

Question

My mother just had heart surgery and the doctor said something about checking her I.N.R. because he wants it to 3 and hers is only 1.2. We wanted to find out about your I.N.R. counts. Can you help?

Answer 1

The clotting of blood is brought about by a combination of the action of platelets and the coagulation system. Platelets are blood cells which when activated are attracted to one another to participate in forming a thrombus, what some refer to as a "clot."

Many of the factors which activate platelets also activate Blood Coagulation of which there are two parts:

1. The Intrinsic Coagulation Pathway
2. The Extrinsic Coagulation Pathway

The Coagulation Pathways are actually multiple pathways of enzymes working together to form Fibrin which, by incorporating clumped platelets, together creates a thrombus.

The INR is the International Normalized Ratio and it refers to a standardized measure of the time it takes to clot blood. Coumadin, or Warfarin, is typically prescribed following Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and in other disease states. Coumadin interferes with Factor VII which is a major part of the extrinsic pathway to coagulate blood.

The Prothrombin Time (PT) and Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) are actually laboratory blood tests to measure the time it takes to clot blood. There are also other tests as well. The PT measures the Extrinsic Pathway, the one affected by Coumadin. The PTT measures the Intrinsic Pathway and generally is not affected by Coumadin unless it is taken great excess. Folks who are hemophiliacs are deficient in certain Coagulation Factors, such as VII, V, etc. This causes them to have very prolonged bleeding times, hence they are essentially unable to form thrombi rapidly enough to stop bleeding.

Factor VII of the Extrinsic Pathway is very much affected by Vitamin K; in fact, Factor VII is referred to as being Vitamin K dependent. That is, without Vitamin K it will not function properly and with Vitamin K will react normally to initiate thrombus formation. Coumadin interferes with the biochemical activity of Vitamin K on Factor VII, hence it prolongs the time it takes to form a thrombus. Anyone taking Coumadin should avoid green leafy vegetables (not entirely) or any other foods containing Vitamin K as these foods will make if very difficult to adjust the dose of Coumadin to achieve an INR in the Therapeutic Range which is considered 2.5-3.5 but varies somewhat depending on what condition is being treated.

Although the term "thinned blood" is very commonly used there is, strictly speaking, no such thing as "thin or thick" blood. Blood has many properties altered by many things and are eloquently described by mathematical formulas. That being said, when someone is said to have "thin blood" it refers to having an abnormally prolonged PT and/or PTT; the time to form a thrombus is longer than normal. Conversely, "thick blood" would refer to a foreshortened PT and PTT.

Coumadin or Warfarin is potentially a very dangerous drug in that if not taken as prescribed and not monitored very closely by the prescribing physician can result in various forms of hemorrhage. Folks on this medication are very prone to excess bleeding, especially from trauma, a wound, ulcers, etc. If the person is prone to falling this drug may cause them to bleed excessively if injured. Also, Coumadin is affected by many, many other drugs; these medications can prolong or shorten the INR while taking Coumadin. For example, the majority of antibiotics will prolong the INR thereby making the person more prone to bleeding. If placed on an antibiotic, the INR needs to be monitored more frequently to make any necessary dosage adjustments in the Coumadin.

Conversely, Coumadin is a very effective and important medication. It is very useful for a number of serious illnesses of which coronary artery bypass surgery is just one example.

Answer 2

INR stands for International Normalized Ratio, it's a measure of how well an anticoagulant (blood thinner) called coumadin (or warfarin) is working. A normal value is 1, and depending on the reason that the patient needs to be anticoagulated, the goal values can be anywhere from 2 to 3.5 or so (they usually have a range).
If you mother had heart surgery and the doctor wants her on coumadin, then I'm going to guess that she had a metallic heart valve put in (though there are other reasons she might need it). Anyone with this sort of valve needs to take coumadin for life and maintain an INR between 2.5 and 3.5 to reduce the possibility that a blood clot might form on the valve.
INR is measured by a simple blood test. In the hospital it may be checked every day, and out of the hospital it may be checked weekly or more, most people get checked every 4-6 weeks once they have a stable INR.

Answer 3

This brief definition will help you out:

INR: International normalized ratio, a system established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Committee on Thrombosis and Hemostasis for reporting the results of blood coagulation (clotting) tests. All results are standardized using the international sensitivity index for the particular thromboplastin reagent and instrument combination utilized to perform the test.

For example, a person taking the anticoagulant ("blood thinner") warfarin (brand name: Coumadin) might optimally maintain a prothrombin time (a "pro time" or PT) of 2 to 3 INR. No matter what laboratory checks the prothrombin time, the result should be the same even if different thromboplastins and instruments are used. This international standardization permits the patient on warfarin to travel and still obtain comparable test results.

Answer 4

INR stands for International Normalized Ratio This is a standard to tell how fast the blood is clotting. Your Mother should be having heparin until her INR reaches her target. Many variables play a part in how the body reacts to coumadin. I'm sure that the Dr will be giving her instructions but the key is consistency in diet, but staying away from foods highest in VIt K and other foods, supplements that interfere with the medication. Regular INR testing is important. It takes about 3 days for a higher dose of Coumadin(warfarin) to take affect, But the INR can drop quickly until she is at the proper dose. Best wishes

Answer 5

PT and INR (PT/INR) evaluate the ability of blood to clot properly, they can be used to assess both bleeding and clotting tendencies. One common use is to monitor the effectiveness of blood thinning drugs such as warfarin (Coumadin).

Answer 6

my mom is a dialysis patient i n r is at 2 dr wants it to be at 6 before release from hospital is that 6 excessive number

Answer 7

Unfortunately 1.6

Answer 8

2.5

Answer 9

3.0

Answer 10

3.3