Lovenox

[Seabush]

Has anyone currently on blood thinners have to take Lovenex before your heart valve operation? My mother is currently on Coumadin. They want to take her off of that prior to the procedure and place her on Lovenex.

Thanks

Crystal

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Do a serch on this site using Lovenox as your key word. People are handled pretty much the same for invasive proceedures. It's really no big deal once you get use to it.

 

[Nancy]

Yup-

That's the right way to do it. Joe had visiting nurses come to our home to inject him and check him out. That way he didn't have to go into the hospital several days ahead of time, like he used to have to do.

 

[Seabush]

Why?

Why?

I'm going to plead ignorance on this. What is the drug supposed to do?

Crystal

 

[sylviayasgur]

hey crystal! i can't believe you just posted that! my husband, joey, is scheduled for avr on this wed., 9/12. i just got home from a day at the hospital having a cath done. they insisted he stay overnight. it seems his valve diam. has gone from .6 in july to .4 today!! good news ,all his vessels are clear!!!!

joey has had bouts with a-fib in the past and has usually converted on his own within 48 hours. he was cardiovered once, 6 yrs ago, when he didn't come out of the fib on his own. well, wouldn't it be just the time for this to happen? he went into fib 2 days ago and they have put him on lovenex (how do you spell it?), because coumadin would not work with the upcoming surgery date (too soon). tonight they will be teaching him to administer the shots to himself and he will do so until the day before the surgery. ( he would need to be taken off coumadin 3 days prior to surgery, which would give him 2 days on it). that's what makes this the blood thinner of choice in our case.

what a surprise it was for me to see your thread, just after having learned about this myself.
i don't really know much about it, but the dr who did the cath thinks it's a great alternative for cases like ours.

sorry i couldn't give you more info about it. i hope it helps to know that there's someone in your mother's exact same boat.

good luck! when is your mother's surgery?
hope all goes well.
-sylvia

 

[Guest]

Coumadin or warfarin is the oral anticoagulant. It is slow acting both in starting and stopping. Because of this, you cannot take it up until they day before surgery and stop it.
Lovenox is the most commonly used low-molecular weight heparin, an injectable anticoagulant. It is relatively short acting. So after the warfarin is stopped, they put you on this and give an injection every 12 hours until about 12 hours before the surgery. By the time of the surgery, you are at no risk for excessive bleeding. You are at some risk of clotting but since the time is short, the risk is minimal and one that you have to take to have surgery.
The warfarin and Lovenox are restarted after surgery and the Lovenox is continued until the INR is back in the therapeutic range. It is advised that the INR should be in range for two days before it is stopped, but it is often stopped as soon as the INR gets there.
To find your proper dose, you divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. This is the number of mg that you should get every 12 hours. Some rounding off is acceptable. It comes in pre-mixed syringes.

 

[Marty]

Great Answer !

Great Answer !

Al, that was a lucid accurate answer to the Lovenox vs. Coumadin
question before and after surgery. I never knew how the dose of Lovenox was calculated. I find clots but don't treat. Keep up these excellent contributions.