Cutaneous surgery in the head and neck carries an intermediate risk of bleeding, so many surgeons stop anticoagulant treatment perioperatively despite the risk of cardiovascular events. We reviewed many procedures done in patients who were taking aspirin, and we did not find evidence of significantly increased postoperative bleeding compared with procedures in patients who were not taking aspirin (10/259=4% compared with 6/209=3%, p=0.6). Our results suggest that cutaneous surgery in the head and neck is safe for patients taking aspirin.
Keywords: Anticoagulation; Aspirin; Bleeding risk; Cutaneous surgery; Head and neck.
Copyright © 2014 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.