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.
General points when taking Warfarin (Coumadin) 1  A low INR means you have increased risk of clotting. 2  A high INR means you have an increased risk of bleeding. 3  Warfarin increases INR, Vitamin K decreases it. 4  Most doctors aim to keep INR around 2-3, but can range to 2.5-3.5 for heart valves or other extreme cases.