ISSN : 1301-5680
e-ISSN : 2149-8156
Turkish Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery     
Variations in international normalized ratio applications among Turkish cardiovascular surgeons: Daily practice versus Guidelines
Ahmet Barış Durukan1, Serkan Ertugay2
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medical Park Uşak Hospital, Uşak, Turkey
2Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medical Faculty of Ege University, İzmir, Turkey
DOI : 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2017.13650
Background: In this study, we aimed to investigate the degree of guideline compliance for warfarin use among the Turkish cardiovascular surgeons in daily practice.

Methods: B etween M ay 2 016 a nd J une 2 016, a t otal o f 3 14 cardiovascular surgeons were included in this study. The participants were administered an 18 item-questionnaire for warfarin use, which was approved by the Executive Board of the Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery for the issues related with warfarin use. The questionnaire was sent via electronic mail to the members of the society twice and data were collected.

Results: Based on the collected data, a report was prepared by the Working Group for Cardiovascular Basic Sciences of the Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery. It was found that the Turkish cardiovascular surgeons followed lower international normalized ratio targets for mitral valve repair and bioprosthetic valves at any position. For mechanical valve prostheses and atrial fibrillation, they mostly applied targets defined in the guidelines.

Conclusion: Brief courses or acknowledgements should be planned by our society to disseminate this critical guideline information. This would increase awareness and increase guideline-based practice which is evidence-based and universally accepted. Translations of guidelines may be also shared on the website of the society, if copyright issues are settled. For the international normalized ratio monitorization, the use of point-of-care testing, a simple and quick test, should be encouraged.

Keywords : Guideline; heart valve prosthesis; international normalized ratio; Warfarin
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