Anticoagulants during arthroplasty 'may be safe'

The use of the anticoagulant Warfarin during the perioperative period of joint arthroplasty may be medically safe, it has been claimed.

According to new research published on Ortho Supersite, patients given Warfarin during surgery experienced minor bleeding complications, but this had no impact on patient outcome.

However, the researchers behind the Arthroscopy on Anti-coagulated Patients: A Retrospective Evaluation of Postoperative Complications report said: "Due to the small sample size, these observations do not warrant a change from the current standard of care in the community.

"Continued thought and discussion and further larger studies are needed to determine the best way to optimise the perioperative management of patients on anticoagulation therapy. "

They also highlighted limitations with the retrospective study, including the fact that the results could not be compared to a control group and that the sample size was small, with just 24 patients meeting the researchers' inclusion criteria.

Earlier this year, a paper published in the international journal Circulation showed that bleeding during major surgical procedures such as total knee and total hip replacement was directly linked to an increased risk of mortality.

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