Clinical outcomes associated with per‐operative discontinuation of aspirin in patients with coronary artery disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Background: Postoperative state is characterized by increased thrombotic risk by virtue of platelet activation. Whether aspirin ameliorates this risk in patients with established coronary artery disease undergoing cardiac or noncardiac surgery is unknown. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to compare the risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and the risk of bleeding in patients with early (3–5 or more days before surgery) vs. late discontinuation(<3–5 days)/no discontinuation of aspirin. Methods: Multiple databases were searched from inception of these databases until March 2015 to identify studies that reported discontinuation of aspirin in patients undergoing surgery. The outcomes measured were all cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction and other relevant thrombotic events (MACE) which also may include, fatal and nonfatal MI, stent thrombosis and restenosis, stroke, perioperative cardiovascular complications (heart failure, MI, VTE, acute stroke) and perioperative bleeding during the perioperative period to up to 30 days after surgery. Results: A total of 1,018 titles were screened, after which six observational studies met the inclusion criteria. Our analysis suggests that there is no difference in MACE with planned discontinuation of aspirin (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.76–1.81; P = 0.05; I 2 = 55%). Early discontinuation of aspirin showed a decreased risk of peri‐operative bleeding (OR 0.82, 95% CI = 0.67–0.99; P = 0.04; I 2 = 42%). Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that planned short‐term discontinuation in the appropriate clinical setting appears to be safe in the correct clinical setting with no increased risk of thrombotic events and with a decreased risk of bleeding.