How risky is it to stop Coumadin prior to elective foot surgery?

Anticoagulation therapy is used for a number of conditions including atrial fibrillation, history of deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and vascular implants and in cases of clotting disorders that result in thrombocytosis (elevated platel...

Lessons learned from a foot surgeon undergoing foot surgery

One of the factors that motivated me to go into podiatry as a young man was in fact a bit personal.  Being born with bilateral club feet, I felt I might have a little more empathy for folks who suffered from foot and ankle pain.  It’s bee...

I'm on call this week for our hospital's Critical Limb Care program. First thing Monday morning I had a call from a cardiologist who wanted to know whether to proceed or cancel an angioplasty (PCA). The case was an ablation of the right atrium. The problem was that the patient presented with a mid shin wound that had been present for 3 weeks. The question at hand was whether the wound was infected and would contaminate the procedure. "What should I do? Cancel the case?"