We herein report three patients receiving (on) anticoagulant therapy, who were scheduled for oral and maxillofacial surgery. The three patients receiving Warfarin
® anticoagulant therapy were changed to Heparin
® during the perioperative period. The scheduled surgical procedures were radical surgery of the maxillary sinus, sequestrectomy, and open reduction and internal fixation.
According to our protocol, Warfarin
® was terminated three or four days prior to surgery, and Heparin
® was administered intravenously as a bolus injection at a loading dose of 2, 000 to 3, 000 units; thereafter, Heparin
®, infusion was commenced at a dose of 10, 000 to 15, 000 units per day to maintain the APTT value between 45 and 70 seconds (control, 30-35 seconds). Then, 3-4 hours prior to surgery, Heparin
® infusion was terminated. Postoperatively, Heparin
® infusion was commenced following attainment of hemostasis (restarted after control of any hemorrhage), and the patients were switched back to oral warfarin therapy when oral consumption were authorized to the patients. Heparin
® infusion was terminated when the PT-INR increased beyond (to over) 1.5.
All patients were successfully managed without complications, such as hemorrhage, thrombosis and thrombocytopenia. We revealed (demonstrated) that by switching Wafarin
® to Heparin
® was useful during the perioperative management for patients receiving oral anticoagulant therapy.
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