Does aspirin prolong bleeding from gastric biopsies in man?

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Hematology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Aspirin is known to prolong skin bleeding time by affecting platelet function.
• A potential increase in gastric bleeding time after aspirin use has been suggested as a cause of gastric hemorrhage.
• The safety of endoscopic gastric biopsy in patients taking aspirin remains a concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of acute and chronic aspirin use on gastric bleeding time.
• To determine if aspirin ingestion prolongs gastric bleeding time following endoscopic biopsy.
• To assess the safety of endoscopic gastric biopsy in patients on aspirin therapy.

Main Methods:

• Gastric bleeding time was directly assessed after endoscopic biopsy in four groups.
• Skin bleeding time was measured using the Mielke method.
• Study included control subjects, normal volunteers with acute aspirin (24 hours, two weeks), and patients with chronic aspirin use (rheumatoid arthritis).

Main Results:

• Aspirin ingestion did not significantly affect gastric bleeding time in normal volunteers, despite prolonged skin bleeding times.
• Gastric bleeding time was consistently shorter than skin bleeding time across all study groups.
• No increased gastric bleeding was observed in patients undergoing biopsy after aspirin use.

Conclusions:

• Aspirin ingestion does not prolong gastric bleeding time in humans.
• Endoscopic gastric biopsy is considered safe for patients, irrespective of recent aspirin ingestion.
• The findings suggest that recent aspirin use should not be a contraindication for gastric biopsy procedures.