Focus on perioperative management of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents in spine surgery

SummaryPerioperative management of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents is based on a compromise between the risk of hemorrhage induced by maintaining (or substituting for) them and the risk of thrombosis if they are discontinued. The hemorrhage risk in major spinal surgery is clear (50–81% incidence of transfusion), and the incidence of postoperative symptomatic spinal hematoma varies between 0.4% and 0.2% depending on whether low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is prescribed postoperatively. The French Health Authority, in 2008, published guidelines on the management of patients treated with vitamin K antagonists. Treatment may be stopped without preoperative replacement in certain cases of atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolic disease; otherwise, preoperative replacement by curative dose unfractionated heparin (UFH) or LMWH is recommended, with withdrawal early enough to avoid peroperative bleeding. Postoperative care should take account of hemorrhagic risk following surgery. The management of patients treated with antiplatelets is delicate, as maintenance is preferable in most of the situations in which they are prescribed (bare or active stenting, or secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke or peripheral ischemia), although they are liable to increase the risk of perioperative hemorrhage, especially when associated to antithrombotic prophylaxis. If surgery cannot be performed under treatment continuation, the interruption should be as short as possible. New guidelines are presently being drawn up under the auspices of the French Health Authority. In both types of treatment, the strategy should be jointly determined by surgeon, anesthesiologist and cardiologist, to optimize individualized care taking account of each party's requirements, with the patient in the central role. The selected strategy should be clearly stated in the patient's file.Level of evidenceV.