George is a 76-year-old male who presents to the clinic with complaints of frequ
ID: 47108 • Letter: G
Question
George is a 76-year-old male who presents to the clinic with complaints of frequent nosebleeds (four in the past week) and easy bruising. The patient also complains of a runny nose and cough. He has a history of chronic atrial fibrillation and takes warfarin. About 3 weeks ago, the patient started taking Tagamet over-the-counter (OTC) for heartburn.
What problems with this patient can you identify? What contributes to this patients increased blood pressure?
Medications
Digoxin 0.25 mg QD
Cimetidine OTC BID
Pseudoephedrine SR 120 BID
Warfarin 7 mg QD
Allergies: NKDA
Physical Examination
VS: BP: 180/95, HR 75, irregularly irregular, RR 17, Wt. 95 kg
HEENT: WNL
ABD: + Bowel Sounds
EXT: Bruising on arms and legs
NEURO: Alert & Oriented x 3
GEN: Well developed, well-nourished male.
ECG: atrial fibrillation.
Laboratory
Na 143
K 4.5
Cl 99
CO2 25
BUN 18
SCr 0.9
INR 4.8
Hct 42
Hbg 15
Digoxin 1.6ng/ml
Medications
Digoxin 0.25 mg QD
Cimetidine OTC BID
Pseudoephedrine SR 120 BID
Warfarin 7 mg QD
Allergies: NKDA
Physical Examination
VS: BP: 180/95, HR 75, irregularly irregular, RR 17, Wt. 95 kg
HEENT: WNL
ABD: + Bowel Sounds
EXT: Bruising on arms and legs
NEURO: Alert & Oriented x 3
GEN: Well developed, well-nourished male.
ECG: atrial fibrillation.
Laboratory
Na 143
K 4.5
Cl 99
CO2 25
BUN 18
SCr 0.9
INR 4.8
Hct 42
Hbg 15
Digoxin 1.6ng/ml
Explanation / Answer
The diagnostic test shows normal values for all the electrolytes, Hbg, creatine, BUN, and hematocrit, except the INR. INR (international normalized ratio) is measured in seconds to determine the blood clotting time. The INR of 0.8 to 1.1 is normal.
Since the INR value is above 4.0, it indicates blood clotting disorder.
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