International travel amongst patients on chronic anticoagulation therapy

The travel habits of a group of patients on anticoagulants after heart valve replacements with mechanical prostheses have been investigated. In spite of their advanced mean age (63 at follow-up) more than half of the patients (55%) thought that they could travel without problems. Of those who had been travelling 56% had been to a foreign country. Only 5% had check-ups of prothrombin time when staying abroad. The adoption of the International Normalized Ratio for prothrombin control, patient education and international agreements making it easier to have check-ups of prothrombin time, can result in more patients on anticoagulants, for different reasons, to travel, thus increasing their quality of life.