By David Liu, PHD

Saturday Sept 8, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in Annals of Surgery suggests that preoperative use of aspirin may help patients who receive cardiac surgery to avoid major adverse outcomes. 

Longhui Cao and colleagues conducted the study and found patients starting to take aspirin within five days preceding cardiac surgery were less likely to die within 30 days or suffer postoperative renal failure or a composite outcome-major adverse cardiocerebral events or require dialysis or intensive care unit stay.

The study was based on data from 2868 patients, 1923 taking and 945 not taking aspirin, undergoing cardiac surgery in two tertiary hospitals.  Patients in the aspirin group were found to have more comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, peripheral arterial disease, previous myocardial infarction, angina, cerebrovascular disease.

After adjustment for other factors, however, preoperative aspirin therapy compared to non-aspirin use reduced 30-day death risk by 62 percent, dialysis need by 56 percent, hours for intensive care unit stay by 21 percent and major adverse cardiocerebral events by 34 percent among the patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Nevertheless, aspirin treatment did not make any difference in readmission rate.

The researchers concluded: "Preoperative aspirin therapy is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of major cardiocerebral complications, renal failure, intensive care unit stay and 30-day mortality but does not increase the risk of readmissions in patients undergoing cardiac surgery."