I spoke to Mom’s doctor today.
They were trying to decide what to do, weighing risks vs benefits, etc. They wanted to check the water in her lungs to see if the fluid is infected. However, they would have to take her off the Koumadin in order to tap the fluids, which would put her temporarily at risk for blood clots. To mitigate that risk, they would put her on an IV blood thinner which has a shorter shelf life, and then a few hours before the procedure, would take her off the IV blood thinners, so there would be a short window where she is at risk for blood clots. Of course, invasive procedures always have inherent risks, especially given her multiple illnesses.
The purpose of this procedure would be to see if her lungs were infected, and if they were, they would have to drain the fluid (basically, insert a chest tube to drain). I can’t remember whether if she had a chest tube they would have her off the blood thinners the entire time.
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