As a nurse with 35 years of experience in administering Coumadin, as well as 10 years taking it, I feel a need to respond to the article by Charles Ornstein, “Popular blood thinner linked to nursing home deaths,” written for ProPublica and printed in the Sun Journal (July 14).
Having worked in several nursing homes through the years, I have seen, first-hand, the attitude toward that powerful anticoagulant. To have it called “the most dangerous drug in America” is a misnomer.
Coumadin continues to be an effective treatment for potentially fatal clotting and cardiac arrhythmias when taken as ordered and at levels carefully monitored, along with attention to possible drug interactions and dietary restrictions.
Labelling Coumadin (i.e., warfarin) as the culprit or main factor in injuries and deaths of the elderly in nursing homes is like blaming a gun for the murder when someone was instrumental in pulling the trigger.
Perhaps that is an extreme comparison, but from the time Coumadin is ordered by a physician there are many key players involved in what should be safe administration and monitoring of levels and risks.
Carolyn Libbey, Lewiston
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