Patients taking Plavix not at higher risk for GI bleeding after surgery
Individuals who need anti-clotting medication to help prevent catastrophes such as stroke can buy Canadian Plavix at a fraction of its cost in the U.S.
Individuals who need anti-clotting medication to help prevent catastrophes such as stroke can buy Canadian Plavix at a fraction of its cost in the U.S. Currently, doctors may tell patients who are taking these medicines, as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), to discontinue their regimen prior to undergoing certain surgeries on the digestive tract because of risks of bleeding. However, new research suggests this recommendation may not be necessary when it comes to endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR).
"There has been a lot of discussion in the medical community about what to do with people on these medications, and we are pleased to find this early study suggests there may not be the risk of bleeding we once thought would occur," said researcher Timothy Woodward, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Woodward and his colleagues reviewed medical data from 1999 to 2010, focusing on the outcomes of patients who underwent EMR, a minimally-invasive procedure to remove lesions from the digestive tract. Results showed that 3.9 percent of patients bled due to the performance of the procedure in their esophagus or stomach. After EMR, 2.7 percent of patients experienced bleeding because the surgery removed lesions that were bigger than 5 centimeters.
However, the researchers did not find any bleeding associated with a patient's use of NSAIDs or anti-clotting drugs, as presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.
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