Warfarin usage in octogenarians: report from a long-term care anticoagulation service with point of care INR testing & community pharmacists

Abstract

Background The need for oral anticoagulation has increased, including octogenarians. Upon request, the London Drugs Anticoagulation Service (AS) expanded its warfarin dosing service with certified community pharmacists and point of care INR testing into long-term care (LTC). Purpose To evaluate the AS in LTC octogenarian residents. Methods LTC residents age C80 years who were referred to the AS between 2005 and 2007 were randomly selected for retrospective chart review. Results Twelve charts were reviewed with 92% females and 8% males; a mean age of 85.7 years; a mean weight 69.1 kg; a mean of 12 medications; and a mean AS duration of 13.4 months.