The nurse is caring for a potential surgical patient in the preadmission testing unit. The medication history indicates that the patient is currently taking warfarin (Coumadin). Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
a. Consult with the physician regarding a radiological examination of the chest.
b. Consult with the physician regarding an international normalized ratio (INR).
c. Consult with the physician regarding blood urea nitrogen (BUN).
d. Consult with the physician regarding a complete blood count (CBC).
B
Warfarin is an anticoagulant that is utilized for different maladies, but its action is to increase the time it takes for the blood to clot. This action can put the surgical patient at risk for bleeding tendencies. Typically, if at all possible, this medication is held several days before a surgical procedure to decrease this risk. INR, PT (prothrombin time), APTT (activated partial thromboplastin time), and platelet counts reveal the clotting ability of the blood. Chest x-ray, BUN, and CBC are diagnostic screening tools for surgery but are not specific to warfarin.
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