Taking Warfarin And Bleeding From Legs. Should I Go To ER?

Posted on Sun, 27 Oct 2013

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

Sun, 27 Oct 2013 Answered on

Thu, 28 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : My husband was recently treated with warfarin, it went wrong with him. His leg was full of blood all the way to his hips.He went thru surgery and they put a vaccuum pump on him for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks of rehab he can finally stand again and walk a little bit. They sent him home and I have to apply three times a day dressings to the open wound about 7 cm deep and 3 inches wide. This week all of a sudden the blood gashed out of the incision and I had to call 911 to put him in the emergency room to stop the bleeding. My question is, will this blood gashing continue, what are the best alternative to put him back in re-hap?

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Yes; request your doctor for help Detailed Answer: Hello ma'am and welcome. Thank you for writing in. I have gone through your query with diligence, and I attribute all your husband's problems to the warfarin use. The main problem here is that warfarin has a long half-life (i.e. it takes a lot of time for warfarin to exit your system). This means that your husband will be exposed to a blood-thinning effect and answering your question; yes ma'am, your husband will be exposed to this blood gushing for a while longer (exactly how long, we cannot really say). The only way you can get your husband back into rehab, is to first wait for the wound to heal, and then request your doctor to help recommend your husband back to rehab. I hope this information helps you ma'am, please keep your husband safe and ask him to be careful for a few days, till the warfarin exits your husband's system. Best wishes.

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