Hemostatic management during oral surgery in patients with a left-ventricular assist system undergoing high-level anticoagulant therapy: efficacy of low molecular weight heparin

Haemostatic management for oral surgery in patients supported with left ventricular assist device--a preliminary retrospective study

We investigated haemostatic management, frequency of postoperative bleeding, and prognosis of patients who had left ventricular assist devices, and who were having oral surgical procedures between April 2002 and March 2014, to identify risk factors for bleeding and find out which were the best methods of haemostasis. Medical records were examined retrospectively and we recorded details of the patients, and frequency of bleeding together with factors associated with it. Twenty-nine patients had 39 oral operations, and there were 17 bleeds (44%). The first procedure for each patient was used for statistical calculations. Duration of bleeding tended to be longer for patients with implantable devices (median (interquartile range, IQR) 12.0 (3-18) days) than for those with extracorporeal devices (median (IQR) 3.0 (1-4) days; p=0.079). There was a significantly greater difference in prothrombin time-international normalised ratio (PT-INR) before and after operation in patients who bled, whose median (range) was 0.85 (0.2-1.81), than in those who did not (median (IQR) 0.16 (-0.09-0.31) (p=0.015). There were moderate correlations with postoperative bleeding were seen for the difference between preoperative and postoperative PT-INR (r=0.479, p=0.012) and PT-INR value when bleeding (r=0.407, p=0.035). In conclusion, postoperative bleeding occurred after oral operations in 17/29 patients with left ventricular assist devices by a median (IQR) of 0.85 (0.2-1.81) of the preoperative value.

Assessment of bleeding during minor oral surgical procedures and extraction in patients on anticoagulant therapy

Introduction:

The risk of postoperative hemorrhage from oral surgical procedures has been a concern in the treatment of patients who are receiving long-term anticoagulation therapy. A study undertaken in our institution to address questions about the amount and severity of bleeding associated with minor outpatient oral surgery procedures by assessing bleeding in patients who did not alter their anticoagulant regimen.

Subjects and Methods:

Eighty-three patients receiving long-term anticoagulant therapy visited Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from May 2010 to October 2011 for extractions and minor oral surgical procedures. Each patient was required to undergo preoperative assessment of prothrombin time (PT) and measurement of the international normalized ratio. Fifty-six patients with preoperative PT values within the therapeutic range 3–4 were included in the study. The patients’ age ranged between 30 and 75 years. Application of surgispon was done following the procedure. Extraction of teeth performed with minimal trauma to the surrounding tissues, the socket margins sutured, and sutures removed after 5 days.

Results:

There was no significant incidence of prolonged or excessive hemorrhage and wound infection and the healing process was normal.

On the use of prothrombin complex concentrate in patients with coagulopathy requiring tooth extraction

In patients on high-level anticoagulant therapy (prothrombin time-international normalized ratio [PT-INR] ≥ 4.5), surgical procedures can be carried out with bridging therapy using heparin. However, surgical treatment options are severely limited in patients on high-level anticoagulant therapy and who have heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), as heparin use is contraindicated. We performed tooth extraction using prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) in 2 HIT patients on high-level anticoagulation therapy (PT-INR ≥ 4.5). Five hundred units of PCC were administered intravenously, and after 15 minutes, it was confirmed that PT-INR was less than 2.0. Tooth extraction was then performed and sufficient local hemostasis was achieved. At 3 hours after tooth extraction, PT-INR was 2.0 or higher and later increased to 4.0 or higher, but postoperative bleeding was mostly absent. When performing tooth extraction in HIT patients on high-level anticoagulant therapy, favorable hemostatic management was achieved through sufficient local hemostasis and transient warfarin reversal using PCC.