Abstract
We retrospectively studied the medical records of 26 patients with cardioembolic stroke who were consecutively transferred from acute phase hospitals (APH) to our hospital, as to whether their anticoagulant therapy was within the range of recommendations set by the Japanese Guidelines for the Management of Stroke 2004 (Guidelines). Seventeen of the transferred patients had their international normalized ratio (INR) result shown in the medical record, 10 of these transferred patients had their INR dictated as within target. The INRs at the day of transfer were 1.1-3.2, average 2.0±0.6. Fifteen of the patients had an INR within the Guideline's range of recommendation. Three patients experienced an INR>4.0 during their stay in our hospital and this was probably due to the additive bucolome and low frequency of INR examination. At the time of discharge, the INR of 8 patients still did not reach the Guideline's range of recommendation. Because the date of transfer from an APH to a rehabilitation hospital for patients with stroke is getting shorter than ever, it is possible that patients are now being admitted to the rehabilitation hospital before their anticoagulant therapy has stabilized. It is suggested that doctors in both APHs and rehabilitation hospitals should share information about each patient's anticoagulant therapy and follow the Guidelines.
