Man suffers stroke after stopping pills on doctor’s advice

23/09/2015 • 7:26 am

Man suffers stroke after stopping pills on doctor’s advice

A MAN suffered a stroke after being given incorrect advice about stopping his blood thinning medication.

According to the Scottish Ombudsman, the patient, named only as “Mr C”, was taking rivaroxaban, a drug that thins the blood to minimise the risk of strokes, when he was scheduled for non-emergency surgery. He was told to stop taking his medication seven days before his operation because of the risk of excessive bleeding during  surgery. But four days after coming off it, he suffered a stroke.

The ombudsman said the health board concerned – NHS Fife – and Mr C’s consultant had “appeared unclear” about whether Mr C was on rivaroxaban or warfarin. The board said it had followed guidelines for warfarin, as rivaroxaban was a very new type of medication. It also said Mr C was classed as a low risk of having a stroke and the advice he was given was accurate, but that in light of his complaint, it would develop further protocols for staff.

Mr C said he should not have been classified as low risk and should not have been advised to stop his medication.

Click on the link to read more

http://www.scotsman.com/news/health/man-suffers-stroke-after-stopping-pills-on-doctor-s-advice-1-3895173

Filed under: NHS Blunders, doctor’s advice, rivaroxaban, Stroke

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