Anticoagulation (Coumadin)

An anticoagulant is a drug that helps prevent harmful clots from forming in the blood. It is given to patients for a variety of clinical disorders, including:

• Atrial fibrillation (abnormal heartbeat) or other heart abnormalities with a risk of intracardiac thrombosis
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• Patients with artificial heart valves who need systemic anticoagulation
• Hypercoagulable disorders, including lupus anticoagulants, cancer with hypercoagulability and any sort of inherited hypercoagulable condition, such as Factor V Leiden, protein C deficiency or protein S deficiency

ECMC's Anticoagulation service monitors and manages patients who take Coumadin by mouth or Lovenox by injection. With finger-stick technology, patients can get immediate results on their blood's ability to clot.

The service is led by Gerald L. Logue, MD, Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Medicine and Head of the Division of Hematology at the University at Buffalo, with Nancy Prospero, NP. Since ECMC is a teaching affiliate of the University, hematology fellows, medical residents and medical students rotate through Anticoagulation.

Physician referrals should include the patient's history, a physical, appropriate lab data, a list of medications and the reason for referral.

To make an appointment or for more information, call (716) 898-3334.