Key result
Dual or multiple antithrombotic therapies show no increased risk of severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
Why the study?
Does dual or multiple antithrombotic therapy increase the risk of severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding in patients admitted with LGIB?
Cohort (n=511)
No
Does dual or multiple antithrombotic therapy increase the risk of severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding in patients admitted with LGIB?
In patients presenting with lower gastrointestinal bleeding, the use of dual or multiple antithrombotic therapies does not appear to significantly increase the risk of severe bleeding.
BACKGROUND: Dual antiplatelet (Plt) therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel is recommended for up to 1 year following acute coronary syndrome. Many of these cardiac patients are also on anithrombotic therapy like warfarin. Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is the main adverse event of this treatment. AIMS: The main purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship of dual anti-Plt therapy and the risk of LGIB. METHODS: Patients' electronic charts were reviewed to include a total of 19 variables, which included age, sex, ethnicity, daily use aspirin of any dose, daily use of clopidogrel, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) at least twice in the last week prior to admission and the daily use of anticoagulants (warfarin, heparin), and were obtained from history and physical examination reports, lab transcripts and procedural reports. SETTINGS/DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of the records of 3436 patients admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2011, was evaluated. All the patients included were admitted through the emergency department with complaints of or relating to LGIB. The primary outcome studied was severe LGIB as defined by the requirement of at least two units of packed red blood cells and/or a decrease in the hematocrit of 20% or more or recurrent bleeding after 24 h of clinical stability with additional transfusions required. Other outcomes included surgical intervention. STATISTICAL METHODS/ANALYSIS: -test on continuous variables and Chi-square test on categorical variables were done before carrying out logistic regression analysis. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to measures of association between the variables and LGIB. Logistic regression analysis was not carried for surgical intervention and death because none of the variables was significant from univariate tests. RESULTS: A total of 511 patients were found to have true LGIB. Among these subjects, 61 were shown to be on dual or multiple antithrombotic therapies. Further exploration revealed that while the use of multiple blood thinning agents may, in fact, pose a significant risk to overall LGIB, it did not significantly increase the risk for severe bleeding as outlined above. CONCLUSION: The use of multiple blood thinning agents does not significantly increase the risk for severe LGIB.
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Shaaban et al. (2017) conducted a cohort in Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (n=511). Dual or multiple antithrombotic therapies vs. No dual or multiple antithrombotic therapies was evaluated on Severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding (requiring ≥2 units of packed red blood cells, ≥20% decrease in hematocrit, or recurrent bleeding requiring transfusions). The use of dual or multiple antithrombotic therapies did not significantly increase the risk of severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding among patients presenting to the hospital.
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