Management of anticoagulant treatment in patients who need non-cardiac surgery

Abstract

The periprocedural management of anticoagulation in patients who require non-cardiac surgery is a common clinical problem due to the aging of the population associated with both an increase in the use of anticoagulants and a higher need for surgery. If surgery is needed in a patient on anticoagulant therapy, regardless of the drug used, it is necessary to consider the urgency of the surgical procedure and the balance between the thromboembolic risk related to the discontinuation of therapy and the hemorrhagic risk related to the surgical procedure itself. Finally, a topic still much discussed that derives from the combined evaluation of these factors is the possible indication of a bridge therapy (“bridging anticoagulation”) to limit the thromboembolic risk related to the discontinuation of treatment. The different strategies in patients under antivitamin K and direct oral anticoagulants are reviewed.