Effects of clopidogrel on perioperative blood loss in off pump elective coronary artery bypass surgery. A prospective single blinded observational study

Abstract

Background Concern about possible hemorrhagic complications arising from use of oral antiplatelet agents in immediate proximity to CABG surgery leads many physicians to avoid or discontinue these agents preoperatively exposing these patients to risk of perioperative myocardial infarction, stroke and vascular event. So we aimed to study the effect of clopidogrel on perioperative blood loss in patients who stopped the drug before surgery with variable time periods. The study was designed to evaluate the effect of preoperative clopidogrel on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery outcome in terms of perioperative blood loss.