Death and defeat: Joseph Stalin suffered atherosclerosis due to his heavy smoking. Early morning on March 1 Stalin went to bed. At dawn Stalin did not leave his bedroom. His guards found it unusual that Stalin didn't wake up at his usual time. They were under orders to not disturb Stalin and left him alone for the rest of the day.
In patients with previous arterial embolism, only 4 daily doses of warfarin should be withheld preoperatively and the INR should be measured the day before surgery to determine if a small dose of vitamin K is needed to accelerate the reversal of anticoagulation.
Your doctor will tell you how long you need to take warfarin for, and when you should stop taking it. Some people will take warfarin long term, for as long as their blood-clotting risk continues. Other uses (such as after surgery) are usually short term.