Medline ® Abstract for Reference 80
of 'Perioperative medication management'
80
TI
Should nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs be stopped before elective surgery?
AU
Connelly CS, Panush RS
SO
Arch Intern Med. 1991;151(10):1963.
PURPOSE:
--To determine if perioperative use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might be associated with increased postoperative morbidity.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
--Records from 165 patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty from 1984 to 1987 were reviewed. Patients taking NSAIDs at hospital admission were compared with those who were not.
RESULTS:
--Patients taking NSAIDs had more postoperative bleeding complications (gastrointestinal tract bleeding and/or hypotension) than did patients not taking those agents. Complications were more frequent in patients using NSAIDs with half-lives longer than 6 hours.
CONCLUSION:
--Patients undergoing elective surgery should stop taking NSAIDs in time to allow elimination of the drug; those patients who need to take these agents perioperatively should use drugs with short half-lives.
AD
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville.
PMID