Anti-Clotting Drugs may be Unnecessary for Most Surgery Patients
Prescribing anticoagulants as a preventative measure post surgery may be unnecessary for most patients, and could even be harmful to a small proportion.
Prescribing anticoagulants as a preventative measure post surgery may be unnecessary for most patients, and could even be harmful to a small proportion.
‘Increased use of anti-clotting drugs like aspirin, warfarin is associated with a high risk of bleeding that leads to subdural hematoma.’
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David Gaist, M.D., Ph.D., of Odense University Hospital and the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark and colleagues conducted a study that included 10,010 patients, ages 20 to 89 years, with a first-ever subdural hematoma diagnosis from 2000 to 2015 who were matched to 400,380 individuals from the general population (controls). Subdural hematoma incidence and antithrombotic drug use was identified using population-based regional data and national data from Denmark.Among the patients with subdural hematoma (average age, 69 years), 47 percent were taking antithrombotic medications. The researchers found that low-dose aspirin was associated with a small risk, use of clopidogrel and a direct oral anticoagulant with a moderate risk, and use of a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) with a higher risk of subdural hematoma. With the exception of low-dose aspirin combined with dipyridamole (an antiplatelet drug), which was associated with a risk similar to use of low-dose aspirin alone, concurrent use of more than one antithrombotic drug was related to substantially higher subdural hematoma risk, which was particularly marked for combined treatment of a VKA with an antiplatelet drug, e.g., low-dose aspirin or clopidogrel.
The prevalence of antithrombotic drug use increased in the general population from 2000 to 2015, as did the overall subdural hematoma incidence rate. The largest increase in incidence of subdural hematoma was among patients older than 75 years.
"The present data add 1 more piece of evidence to the complex risk-benefit equation of antithrombotic drug use. It is known that these drugs result in net benefits overall in patients with clear therapeutic indications," the authors write.
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Fresh Way for Safer Dosing of Anticoagulants
Treatment with anticoagulants to dilute blood are used on elderly people with atrial fibrillation but this medicine is hard to dose and patients must have their blood tested regularly.
Treatment with anticoagulants to dilute blood are used on elderly people with atrial fibrillation but this medicine is hard to dose and patients must have their blood tested regularly.
Quiz on Anticoagulants
Anticoagulants, commonly referred to as “blood thinners”, are medications that interfere with the body’s natural blood clotting mechanism. Anticoagulants are necessary if the patient has a deep vein thrombosis (“DVT”), a blood clot in a vital organ such as the heart, brain or liver, or if the patient has a condition that predisposes to blood clot formation such as atrial fibrillation or a hypercoaguability disorder. When a blood vessel is blocked by a clot, the individual could suffer a heart attack, pulmonary embolus or a stroke-all potentially fatal conditions. Anticoagulants also play a vital role in the preventative care of several health conditions. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about anticoagulant medication:
Anticoagulants, commonly referred to as “blood thinners”, are medications that interfere with the body’s natural blood clotting mechanism. Anticoagulants are necessary if the patient has a deep vein thrombosis (“DVT”), a blood clot in a vital organ such as the heart, brain or liver, or if the patient has a condition that predisposes to blood clot formation such as atrial fibrillation or a hypercoaguability disorder. When a blood vessel is blocked by a clot, the individual could suffer a heart attack, pulmonary embolus or a stroke-all potentially fatal conditions. Anticoagulants also play a vital role in the preventative care of several health conditions. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about anticoagulant medication:
