The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 76, 694-697, Copyright © 1978 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Relation of preoperative use of aspirin to increased mediastinal blood loss after coronary artery bypass graft surgery
EL Michelson, J Morganroth, M Torosian and H Mac Vaugh 3d
To evaluate the potential effect of aspirin, a platelet inhibitory agent,
on postoperative bleeding complications after coronary artery bypass graft
surgery, we compared each of nine patients who had taken aspirin within 7
days prior to operation to one or two control subjects (total 16 patients)
matched for age, sex, extent of coronary disease, number of grafts placed
total operative time, bypass time, and preoperative use of propranolol.
Preoperative prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and platelet
counts were normal for all patients. Mean mediastinal blood loss was
significantly greater in the aspirin group (919 +/- 164 ml., S.E.) than in
the control group (437 +/- 61 ml., p less than 0.001). The degree of
mediastinal blood loss did not correlate with patient age, total operative
time, bypass time, number of vessels diseased, or grafts placed. In
addition, compared to controls the aspirin group required prolonged chest
tube drainage (33 +/- 5 hours versus 19 +/- 1 hour, p less than 0.001).
