prevention of thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation
"I was at a convention in Palm Springs when I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.  Could not breathe, excruciating pain, scared to death.  When I got to the ER my heart was beating at 180 beats per minute.  The doctors told me the only thing that probably saved me from having a stroke was that I was already on Coumadin as I have a genetic blood disorder, factor 5 Leiden which means I will be on Coumadin for the rest of my life.  My doctors are so cautious that they actually had a bird's nest inserted into my vena cava just in case a clot were to ever break lose.  I have never had problems in the 6 years I have been on Coumadin.  My INR is always at 2.5 which is considered perfect since my target range is between 2.0 and 3.0."