A new Anticoagulation Management Service (AMS) is now available at Boone County Family Medicine (BCFM). The service is available for the convenience and safety of patients taking Coumadin (or Warfarin) who need to be checked on a regular basis.
Coumadin is used to lower or prevent blood clots. Individuals may be taking Coumadin for an irregular heart beat (atrial fibrillation), brain attack or stroke, heart attack (myocardial infarction), stent placement in arteries, artificial heart valves, or blood clots in the legs, lungs or other organs.
BCFM currently has over 200 patients on Coumadin, and due to the high risk for bleeding, patients need to be monitored closely, says Pam Pardun, AMS nurse at BCFM. A lab test called an International Normalizing Ratio (INR) is performed on each patient at least once a month to see if the patient’s blood is too thick, too thin, or within the target range. If it’s not within the normal target or therapeutic range, an AMS nurse will discuss changing the dosage with the patient’s physician.
The BCFM doctors have been working on opening an AMS Clinic for over a year. “The doctors felt the patients needed closer monitoring,” says Pam. “Previously, the doctors would see the patient in the clinic every three to six months for routine visits, but the INR’s were still done at least monthly. Today, with the AMS Clinic, the patient comes in to get their lab work done and then sees myself or Melissa Vandepol, AMS nurse, right away.” Each time the patient is seen, the nurse will check their pulse and blood pressure, discuss the signs and symptoms of bleeding and blood clots, and educate them. Patients are educated on how the medication works in the body, why they are on Coumadin, diet, and how other medications, vitamins and herbal supplements can affect the INR.
Due to the fact that individuals on Coumadin are at a higher risk for bleeding and need to be monitored closely, AMS Clinics are opening up all over the nation. “By seeing these patients more frequently, we are able to decrease any risk of complications, trips to the Emergency Room and admissions to the hospital,” says Pam. “The cost to go to the clinic is far less than the cost of complications.”
The AMS Clinic is staffed by a Registered Nurse (RN) with special knowledge and training in taking care of people on Coumadin. The clinic is open Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. at BCFM, 1115 South Marshall Street, Boone.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 432-2335.
Pictured, left to right: Melissa Vandepol and Pam Pardum are BCFM nurses that have special knowledge and training in taking care of people who are taking Coumadin and Warfarin
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