Chest
BronchoscopyAspirin Does Not Increase Bleeding Complications After Transbronchial Biopsy
Section snippets
Study Population
All patients > 40 years of age undergoing bronchoscopy with TBBX during a 1.5-year period from July 1999 through January 2001 were evaluated. Patients were excluded from enrollment into the study if one of the following conditions existed: (1) the patient had received either warfarin or heparin therapy within 2 weeks of the endoscopic procedure; (2) the patient had a known history of a bleeding disorder; or (3) the patient had thrombocytopenia with a platelet count of < 80,000 cells/μL. The
Results
A total of 1,217 patients who had undergone bronchoscopy with TBBX satisfied the entry criteria and agreed to participate in this study. Of these patients, 285 (23%) had taken aspirin within 24 h of undergoing the endoscopic procedure, and 82% of these patients were taking aspirin on a daily basis and continued to do so after undergoing the endoscopic procedure. The most common reason for taking aspirin was primary or secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and the prevention of graft
Discussion
The use of aspirin is indicated for many conditions and has been found to be beneficial in many cardiovascular diseases. Frequently, the indicated use of this medication is interrupted for days if a patient is scheduled for elective TBBX, as has been recommended by some practitioners.13
Only very few studies have addressed the issue of coagulation defects and their influence on complications after endoscopic procedures.14 Interestingly, a study by Brickey and Lawlor15 in pigs treated with
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