how long does a patient need to be off of plavix to have colon surgery?
patient has a medicated stent
The medicated stent was put in 11 months ago.
Tagged with: medicated stent
Filed under: Surgery
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Denisedds (88)
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I hate to say this, but Pangolin is off base (a rarity). The reason for a patient with a medicated stent being on Plavix has to do with it’s anti-platelet action. The difference between an anti-platelet agent and an anticoagulant is more than you would think. Aspirin & Plavix are anti-platelet agents, warfarin, coumadin, heparin, etc are anti-coagulants. IV Heparin wouldn’t be used to replace Plavix.
Current thinking is that it is important to keep a patient on Plavix AT LEAST for the first year after a medicated stent is placed. The risks of taking a patient off their plavix has to be weighed against the need for the surgery.
That is a decision that is usually made by the operating surgeon in conjunction with the cardiologist who put the stent in.
Many times, the Plavix is stopped a few days before surgery. In some cases where anticoagulation is more vital, the patient is admitted, put on a heparin drip, and then the heparin is stopped a few hours before the procedure.