What is the optimal target INR for oral anticoagulant therapy in patients with mechanical heart valves?
For patients with mechanical heart valves, a target INR of 3.0 to 4.0 is recommended to maintain optimal anticoagulation.
The intensity of anticoagulant therapy for patients with prosthetic heart valves is optimal when the INR is between 2.5 and 4.9. To achieve this level of anticoagulation, a target INR of 3.0 to 4.0 is recommended.
Cannegieter et al. (Thu,) studied this question.