BREAKING HEALTH & MEDICAL NEWS - Video Stories
HOME BLOOD THINNER TEST SPECIAL REPORT
If you’re on a blood-thinner, it’s likely you’re in and out labs a lot. Now, a new Coumadin patient self testing system can help you save you a lot of time while allowing you to remain on track toward good health.
For Barbara Varipapa, taking the blood thinning drug Coumadin to prevent stroke means being tethered to a hospital or clinic to have her blood drawn every week. “Sometimes I would get 2 weeks away from the hospital. Then something would happen, and I would have to go back every week again. It was very unpredictable and difficult,” says Barbara.
Yet the constant monitoring and testing of Coumadin patients is critical because if their levels go too high and they cut themselves, they can actually bleed to death. And if they dip too low, they can have a stroke.
Now thanks to the new patient self testing methods, Barbara and other patients are able to monitor their levels on their own, just like diabetics. The concept is the same. Barbara pricks her finger and puts a drop of blood on her machine. “It’s very simple. It takes about 6 minutes totally,” claims Barbara.
The results are right there in front of her.
“Patients get to know what their INR is and can figure out how it will change if they have too much of one thing or not enough of another,” says Maureen Howard, a family nurse practitioner at Staten Island University Hospital.
Their INR, or International Normalization Ratio, tells them if they need an adjustment of their medication. All kinds of things can throw their levels off, including diet and antibiotics. And even if they can’t recognize a change in their levels, their doctors will. The patient self testing results are phoned in, logged by a computer, and their physicians are notified.
“The only time we get involved in their care is when their INR is out of range,” says Maureen.
Researchers have found that self-testing heart patients on Coumadin stay within their INR more and therefore have fewer complications.
“As healthcare providers it’s our job to have the patients empowered to take a truly active role in their healthcare. This is one way to do it,” says Maureen.
For Barbara, it’s all about independence-- getting rid of that tether and taking one step at a time toward a healthier life.
Related Stories Links:
| |
YOUR LOCAL DOCTOR
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
NY
10032
Call 888-337-9398
The decision to undergo valve replacement surgery is not an easy one for you or your loved ones. Therefore, it is essential to find a highly qualified surgeon that you can trust. At the Columbia University Medical Center Aortic Surgery Program, Dr. Allan Stewart, MD offers his patients the chance to improve their health and quality of life through effective surgical procedures. His expertise allows for his practice to not only offer successful valve replacement surgery, but also a rare valve sparing aortic root replacement as an option for his patients. This valve sparing procedure is designed to be both safer and more comfortable for patients in the long-term. If you're searching the Queens, NY area for an experienced and visionary aortic surgeon, contact the Columbia University Medical Center today.
|
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
NY
10032
Call 888-337-9398
Has an aortic aneurism caused you and the ones you love excessive stress and anxiety? For many it can feel like a time bomb in your chest, because it's so tough to know when it will cause a nightmare for you and the ones you love. The difficulty doesn't end there, many of the treatment options come with several life changing complexities. At the Columbia University Medical Center Dr. Allan Stewart MD understands the distress that families dealing with aortic aneurism go through. He has spent his education and medical carrier learning and treating many complex problems of the aortic artery. Now, as the director of the Aortic Program he offers aortic arch surgery designed to allow you to maintain the same quality of life you've always enjoyed. Contact his office at the Columbia University Medical Center today for more information.
|
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
New York
10032
Call 888-337-9398
If you or a loved one is living with an aneurysm, you know what frightening it can be. Whether its not know when the conditioning will turn life threatening or finding the best treatment, an aneurysm can cause undue tremendous anxiety for your family. There are many treatments out there, but making the decision is delicate because each comes with life altering consequences. At the Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Allan Stewart MD has spent the last decade learning and treating problems of aortic artery. As the director of the Aortic Program he strives to offer the families of Westchester, NY with the best possible treatment for aortic aneurysm. World-class treatment is only a phone call away. Contact the Columbia University Medical Center today.
|
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
NY
10032
Call 888-337-9398
Are you unsure on how to handle an aortic aneurism? Has it caused your family excessive stress and anxiety? It can be a very difficult condition to live with, because at anytime it can turn into a rupture and cause a nightmare for you the ones you love. The conventional treatment methods don't make it any easier, many of them come with several life altering strings attached. For the past decade, Dr. Allan Stewart MD has learned and treated many chronic and acute aortic conditions. Today, at the Columbia University Medical Center he offers an innovative valve replacement surgery, which can allow you to maintain the same quality of life you had before this ordeal began. If you're considering aortic surgery in the Bronx, NY area, contact the Columbia University Medical Center today.
|
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
New York
10032
Call 888-337-9398
It is important to be careful about selecting a highly qualified surgeon who can provide effective treatment for an aortic aneurysm. Dr. Allan Stewart is one such expert in his field, who continues to study aortic arch surgery, as well as advanced circulatory management during complex aortic surgery, in order to always provide his patients with the best treatment available. As the director of the Aortic Surgery Program at Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Stewart ensures that his patients receive quality treatment that meets their unique needs. His clinical specialties include complex aortic arch surgery, thoracoabdominal aneurysm surgery, and edovascular repair of aortic aneurysms, among other things. If you live in the NYC, New York area and are looking for an experienced and visionary aortic surgeon, contact the Columbia University Medical Center today.
|
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
NY
10032
Call 888-337-9398
Has a sudden aortic aneurism afflicted the lives of you and the ones you love? There's nothing easy or simple about heart surgery. Much of the time finding the best treatment can be just as hard to deal with as the condition because many of the treatment options carry restrictions on life after surgery. For the past ten years, Dr. Allan Stewart MD researched and solved a wide range of aortic conditions using the latest minimally-invasive techniques. The Cardiac Division of the Columbia University Medical Center performs over 1600 open-heart procedures, and extends their world-class care to the Brooklyn, NY community.
|
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
NY
10032
Call 888-337-9398
Highly invasive valve replacement surgery does not have to be your only option. Dr. Allan Stewart, MD at the Columbia University Medical Center Aortic Surgery Program offers an innovative procedure, known as valve sparing aortic root replacement. This procedure has already given many people a chance to lead a healthy life, without the hassles that are typical for other forms of valve replacement surgery. At the Columbia University Medical Center Aortic Surgery Program, Dr. Stewart's expertise shines through as this procedure is designed to be both safer and more comfortable than conventional valve replacement procedures for patients in the long-term. Dr. Stewart welcomes the Brooklyn, NY community to his state-of-the-art practice.
|
Dr. Allan S. Stewart, M.D.
CUMC Aortic Surgery Program
Milstein Hospital Building, 7-435, 177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York City,
NY
10032
Call 888-337-9398
Nothing is more important than your heart. Therefore, you should take special care when selecting a surgeon for your heart. Dr. Allan Stewart, MD is the director of the Aortic Surgery Program at the Columbia University Medical Center, and as such he ensures that his patients receive quality treatment that meets their unique needs. Dr. Stewart%u2019s clinical specialty includes complex aortic arch surgery. Additionally, he is one of the few surgeons in the world who is able to perform valve sparing aortic root replacement, where he is able to repair the aortic root instead of having to transplant one. This particular procedure is designed to be both safer and more comfortable for patients in the long-term. If you live in the NYC, New York area and are looking for an experienced and visionary aortic surgeon, contact the Columbia University Medical Center today.
| |
SPECIALTIES
|