stop aspirin before surgery?

[ChouDoufu]

guess this is the place to ask. i've got a tissue valve, taking 100mg
aspirin daily. i'm planning on having a minor procedure done, excision
of a morton's neuroma (painful pinched nerve between toes). just
a one-hour quickie with a local anaesthetic.

the doctor refuses to do this unless i stop taking aspirin two weeks
prior to surgery because of potential bleeding problems.

i can see the surgeons would want to stop (or bridge to something
else) with a patient taking anti-coagulants. but aspirin?????????

i assume i could stop the aspirin for a couple weeks with no danger,
but why should i? it's just aspirin. and anyway, why does my
cardio have me taking aspirin daily then? if i can go two weeks
without, why not just stop for good?

but i'm thinking this doctor is an idiot and i should move on to the
next one.

 

[Ross]

Yeah that's overkill. Sounds like a nut job to me. As far as the aspirin goes, one doctor says one thing, another says another. They can't seem to determine if there really is any benefit to taking it. It's split 50/50 in the decision department.

 

[skeptic49]

I think aspirin therapy is pretty well established as beneficial for many heart disease patients and especially for stroke patients. I take a daily 325mg coated aspirin on the advice of my surgeon and cardio. A study in 2005 found that stopping aspirin therapy could have serious complications:

http://www.healthandage.org/profess...2/Stopping-aspirin-increases-stroke-risk.html

This report states that many minor procedures can be done without completely stopping aspirin.

My gastro guy made me stop aspirin a week or two before my last colonoscopy. I think he was being overly cautious.

Jim

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Aspirin is an anti-platelet and can cause or exacerbate bleeding, especially if you have ulcers.

Coumadin / Warfarin are anti-coagulants and can cause or exacerbate bleeding, especially if your levels are too high.

Antiplatelets and anticoagulants both help to prevent clotting / strokes. They work in different areas so the combination works better than either alone.

The recommendation I've heard about aspirin before invasive procedures is to discontinue for ONE Week before the procedure.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[tprice54]

I was asked to stop my 81 mg. of aspirin one week before excision of skin cancer in June. After talking with my cardio, I chose not to, and the dematologist was not happy, but proceeded after talking with her. There were complications, but not due to the aspirin (during the procedure, an artery was nicked and I became a "spurter"!).....

 

[ChouDoufu]

i'm thinking i'd like to go with the surgeon, as he supposedly has experience doing
these types of procedures. apparently this type of foot disorder is rare in asian feet.
i suppose i could keep taking the aspirin, but tell him i stopped. i mean, we're just
doing like a 2-3 cm long cut on the top of one foot. no major arteries or nothing
there. what's the worst that could happen? anyway, if i haven't bled out from
nicking myself shaving, shouldn't be a problem.

and how come the aspirin is 81 mg. why not 80. that's just weird.

 

[Mary]

My family doctor told me that there is nothing to counter act the action of the aspirin in the event it needed to be stopped. I've got the same valve as you and take 325mg of enteric coated.
I would stop it a week to 10 days before, if it were me.

 

[lance]

i'm thinking i'd like to go with the surgeon, as he supposedly has experience doing
these types of procedures. apparently this type of foot disorder is rare in asian feet.
i suppose i could keep taking the aspirin, but tell him i stopped. i mean, we're just
doing like a 2-3 cm long cut on the top of one foot. no major arteries or nothing
there. what's the worst that could happen? anyway, if i haven't bled out from
nicking myself shaving, shouldn't be a problem.

and how come the aspirin is 81 mg. why not 80. that's just weird.

For my surgery aspirin was discontinued for 1 week and I've never seen 80 mg aspirin tablets just the 81 mg "baby" aspirin. I also had a grown removed from my cheek and the back of my hand while fully anticoagulated and aspirin was not discontinued either. Good luck with your Morton's Neuroma. Are you sure that's what it is? I'm asking because I have/had something similar. Could you describe your symptoms for comparison?
Cheers

 

[catwoman]

and how come the aspirin is 81 mg. why not 80. that's just weird.

My guess is 81mg because it's 1/4 dose of the usual 325mg tabs.... That's as good as any explanation.

 

[Bina]

Yes, aspirin is an anti-platelet, and I'm glad to have stopped taking it....combined with my Coumadin, I was getting nose bleeds too often.
(Even on the 81mg.)

 

[Kathy McCain]

Yep, I take the baby aspirin low dose 81mg. I never even thought that would be an issue. I have a colonoscopy coming up (ugh!). That was never mentioned by my cardio. However, I will have to have the procedure "cleared" with him before the colonoscopy, and possibly need to take antibiotics.

 

[Adrienne]

I had to stop a week before I had a colonoscopy. My cardio approved it when I asked about it.

 

[rckrzy1]

Made me stop my 81mg a day for 7 days prior to neck / spine injections and had to take the clotting test as well. I guess bleeding the spine would be bad.

 

[kfay]

Chou, I too have a tissue valve. The Dr.'s at the Mayo also put me on low dose aspirin after my valve replacement and wanted me to continue it forever. However, after a couple of weeks on it, I developed a reaction ( I already know that I can't take other kinds of NSAIDS because of this same reaction). I was terrified that I I wasn't able to take it. I called both my cardio and surgeon up there and they both said I was fine to NOT take it. They said although it is standard practice here in the States, it isn't for a large portion of the rest of the world and that it wouldn't be a problem. I have now been without aspirin or anything else for about 16 months with no problem.

Kim

 

[Ross]

i'm thinking i'd like to go with the surgeon, as he supposedly has experience doing
these types of procedures. apparently this type of foot disorder is rare in asian feet.
i suppose i could keep taking the aspirin, but tell him i stopped. i mean, we're just
doing like a 2-3 cm long cut on the top of one foot. no major arteries or nothing
there. what's the worst that could happen? anyway, if i haven't bled out from
nicking myself shaving, shouldn't be a problem.

and how come the aspirin is 81 mg. why not 80. that's just weird.

I've never figured that out either, it's either 81 or 325. ????

 

[Ross]

Made me stop my 81mg a day for 7 days prior to neck / spine injections and had to take the clotting test as well. I guess bleeding the spine would be bad.

Adam in that case, I would have no problem saying to stop. Spinal procedures can have devastating effects on any form of anticoagulation.

 

[Adrienne]

I think there was someone from VR.COM who mentioned once that since we are all followed by cardiologists, and since most people at a certain age really should take low-dose aspirin as a precaution (unless they have some counterindication to it), our cardiologists simply tell us to take it (at least those of us not taking Coumadin).

 

[Ross]

I had to stop a week before I had a colonoscopy. My cardio approved it when I asked about it.

This is a big topic in this forum. You should never have to stop you anticoagulation for a Colonoscopy. The only exclusion is if they are going to definitively remove huge polyps. I did mine fully anticoagulated, had two small polyps removed and no incident from it. The cutter cauterizies as it cuts the polyps.