Nursing Care for Neurosurgical Patients Undergoing Anticoagulant Therapy

Anticoagulant drugs are given to prevent formation of new clots and extension of clots already present. Although tromboembolic com¬plications are frequently seen in neurosurgical patients, there is not an exact opinion about anticoagulant therapy. Early administration of anticoagu¬lant therapy can lead to hemorrhagical and late administration of anticoagulant therapy can lead to thromboembolic complications and these situations cause serious problems in neurosurgical patients. Because of the complexity and life-threatening nature of the conditions for wich anticoagulants are used, the nurse must continually reassess and monitor the patient’s response to the treatment and document the response accordingly.The continuous monitoring of the patient for the signs and symptoms of internal or external bleeding is crucial during both the initiation and maintenance. Basic components of individualized nursing care are to know hypercoagulability states and, to identify patients having risks and interventions as needeed. In this article, individualized care of neurosurgical patients who undergoing anticoagulan therapy is examined with nursing process approach.