On Coumadin. Coughed Blood. Taking To Emergency. Suggest?

Posted on Fri, 11 Oct 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 11 Oct 2013 Answered on

Thu, 7 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, my father is 84 and on coumadin, he just coughed up some blood, should I be taking him to emergency or wait to talk to his doctor in the morning/

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
May wait, if stable, no complications

Detailed Answer:
Hi friend,
Welcome to Health Care Magic

That depends…

One can generally afford to wait –
If the amount of blood is small…
If there are no problems from it – like increasing heart rate, falling pressure, pale look, confusion…
If it does not recur or increase

If there is any suspicion / if you are not sure – take him now

Take care
Wishing all well
God bless
Good luck

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar