Should I stop aspirin before surgery?
Do not stop aspirin before surgery on your own. The team balances bleeding against clotting risk according to why you take it, the procedure, and whether and when a coronary stent was placed.
Details
There is no universal seven-day rule
Aspirin may be continued for some procedures and temporarily withheld for others. People with a stent or previous vascular event need coordinated advice because unplanned interruption can increase risk. Aspirin is also not interchangeable with every other blood-thinning medicine.
Prepare the relevant information
Provide your medication list, doses, aspirin indication and any stent date. Ask the surgeon, anaesthetist and prescribing clinician for a written plan specifying the last dose if interruption is needed and when to restart. Instructions given to someone having a different operation may not apply.
If the procedure is approaching
Contact the team rather than guess. For emergency surgery, report your last dose; do not delay emergency care to arrange a medication interruption.
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