Safety of Laparoscopic Hernia Surgery in Patients With Preoperative Antiplatelet Continuation Therapy

Introduction The optimal perioperative antithrombotic management of patients receiving antithrombotic therapy (ATT) remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic hernia surgery in patients taking ATT, especially those with a preoperative continuation of single antiplatelet therapy (APT). Methods Three hundred ninety-six (396) patients who underwent laparoscopic hernia surgery between April 2014 and March 2023 in our institution were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: patients who continued single aspirin monotherapy preoperatively (continued single aspirin therapy (cAPT) group; n = 118) and patients who did not receive APT preoperatively (non-APT group; n = 278). Our perioperative antithrombotic management included preoperative continuation of single aspirin therapy for patients with APT or interruption of oral anticoagulation therapy (ACT), bridging anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin or direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) replacement for patients with ACT. The primary outcome was postoperative bleeding complications (BC). Results There were four postoperative BCs (Clavien-Dindo classification ≧ Ⅱ) (1.0%) in the whole cohort, one (0.9%) in the cAPT group, and three (1.1%) in the non-APT group, which were not significantly differentiated (p = 0.8330). Multivariable analysis showed heparin or DOAC replacement was an independently and significantly risk factor for postoperative bleeding (p = 0.0029, odds ratio (OR) = 32.6). Continuation of preoperative aspirin was not a risk factor for postoperative BCs. No thromboembolic complications occurred in the whole cohort. Conclusion We can safely and feasibly perform laparoscopic hernia surgery under preoperative antithrombotic management, including the preoperative continuation of single aspirin therapy, without any increase in bleeding events. However, careful consideration is required for the patient who received heparin bridging or DOAC replacement.