Question

At what point before surgery should anticoagulants, antiplatelets, and thrombolytics be discontinued?

A. 24 hours
B. 48 hours
C. 72 hours
D. 96 hours

Answer 1

Anticoagulants, antiplatelet, and thrombolytics should generally be discontinued well before surgery to reduce the risk of excessive bleeding. Specifically, aspirin should not be taken for 10-14 days before surgery.

Step-by-step explanation:

Anticoagulants, antiplatelet, and thrombolytics are all medications that affect the clotting abilities of the blood. When preparing for surgery, these medications should be managed carefully to minimize bleeding risk. According to the provided references, aspirin, which interferes with the action of platelets, should not be taken for 10-14 days before surgery to avoid excessive bleeding. Thrombolytic agents, interestingly, are pivotal in treating thrombotic strokes if administered within 3 hours of the event and have no direct mention of a specific time to be discontinued before surgery in the provided references.