Anticoagulant And Antiplatelet Medication Awareness Of Preoperative Patients

Abstract

Objective: To determine anticoagulant and anti-platelet medication awareness of peri-operative patients Method: A questionnaire was applied to the 208 preoperative patients taking anticoagulants (AC) or anti-platelets (AP). The questionnaire included the questions about whether they were using any drug that thinners blood or prevents clots, indication and duration of drug use, whether they underwent an operation while using the drug, whether they knew that the drug should be discontinued in case of undergoing an operation and presence of a planned surgical procedure when commencing the drug. Results: Mean age of the study population was 63.3±12.7 years and 50.5% of the patients were male, 27.9 % of the patients were illiterate, 39.4% of patients were not aware of using AC or AP and 12.5% of patients didn’t know duration of AC or AP use. An operation had been planned before commencement of the drug in 9.1% of the patients. The incidence of undergoing a surgical procedure while using AC or AP was 18.8%. While 23.1 % were urgent, 76.9% were elective procedures. General anesthesia was applied in 41% of these patients. When the patients who were aware or unaware of AC or AP use were compared, mean age was younger and level of education was higher among the patients who were aware of using AC or AP (p=0,018 and p<0,001 respectively). No difference was detected between the patients who were using old or new generation drugs with regard to awareness of drug use (p=0.113). Conclusion: Patients who are taking AC or AP may have to undergo surgical procedures more than once while using these drugs. However, an important proportion (39.4 %) of these patients was found to be unaware of using AC or AP.