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Flew about 600 miles yesterday for my follow up appointment. I was told today that the blood work they did yesterday came back with a PTT abnormality. How does TPN affect clotting factor? My bp was elevated yesterday, which is unusual. Is there a higher likelihood of a stroke? Liver failure or problems?
Any help would be appreciated.
CCF
I don't know how TPN affects clotting factor, but as it affects everything else in the body, I can't imagine it not affecting the blood's ability to clot, either. My PT/INR numbers are always wacky because of being on coumadin (because of my blood clots last fall). They constantly adjust my coumadin dosage based on my lab results so that I remain therapeutic (which for me is between 2-3). Try reading this post by a VickyRN, maybe this can answer some of your questions: http://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/can-someone-explain-138282. html.
I do know any time you fly, you should do exercises right at your seat, get up and walk around if you can, to keep up good blood circulation. You often hear of people developing DVTs after long flights (happened to my brother-in-law's new father after a flight to Hawaii). Your high BP just could be "white coat hypertension" -- you know, when your blood pressure is elevated because you're seeing a doctor, going into a hospital, etc. My BP is controlled through medication but last week when I saw the GYN oncologist again, my BP shot way up, as did my pulse rate. It was normal when I got back home and checked it. As for liver problems, from what I gather that is an unfortunate side effect of long-term TPN use, and I don't know if there's anything they can do to correct it (other than transplant when the liver begins failing). That's my worry. My liver function labs have been a bit funky and as I've only been on TPN for a year, it has me a little worried, but my docs haven't made mention of it yet.
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