An Aspirin A Day Can Keep Post-Surgery Complications Away
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A study of 1,000 of heart surgery patients shows that an aspirin a day can keep post surgery complications away.
Taking aspirin several days before heart surgery could cut down on problems after the procedure according to Dr. Jianzhong Sun an anesthesiologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
"A pre-op aspirin therapy has a significant decrease in the risk of major cardio-cerebral complications, renal failure, intensive care unit stay and 30-day mortality."
Doctors often tell patients to stop taking aspirin before surgery, to reduce the risk of bleeding, but not all patients are given that message. Dr. Sun looked at the medical records of thousands of patients who continued taking aspirin before cardiac surgery and found those who continued taking the pill had fewer complications than those who stopped.
"If you take the major outcomes, mortality or death if you take pre-op aspirin in our study the death is 3.5% if you not it's 6.5%
It also reduced the risk of kidney failure and the time spent in the intensive care unit and he says there was no increase in post surgery hospitalization because of bleeding.
