When patients who are receiving low-dose, long-term aspirin therapy require surgery, many clinicians stop the aspirin therapy prior to surgery due to a perceived risk for excessive bleeding. A study by Madan, et al assessed 51 patients who underwent minor oral surgical procedures without stopping daily low-dose aspirin therapy. All surgery was performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia by the same surgeon. All surgical sites were sutured with 3/0 black braided silk, a pressure pack was given, and all patients were checked 30 minutes after the procedure was completed and were discharged with strict instructions. All patients were assessed for bleeding time and platelet count prior to surgery. If these were within normal limits, the surgery was performed without stopping aspirin therapy; all patients had values within normal limits. There were 32 male patients and 19 female patients, ranging in age from 45 to 70 years. The procedures included third molar surgery and implant placement. The study found that there was no excessive intraoperative bleeding except for 1 case, and there were no cases of postoperative bleeding. The authors conclude that most minor oral surgery procedures can be safely performed without stopping long-term low-dose aspirin therapy.
(Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Vol. 63, No. 9, 2005)
