Eliquis and surgery

[brit1]

I will have to go off my Eliquis for several days prior to having surgery on one of my eyes. I am terrified that I may go into AF while off it. Has anyone had to go off their anticoagulant for surgery and had AF without it causing a stroke?

[BenHall1]

Back in the day years ago when I was on Warfarin ( Coumadin ) I had four different medical proceedures at different times. The most challenging ( in all respects ) was knee replacement surgery. I had to stop Warfarin 6 days before and was visited by both surgeon and anethetist a few hours before surgery to check everything and to check my INR. Post op when back in my room I was given two injections of a bridging anticoagulant ( Fragmin ) and later that evening I returned to my usual doses of Warfarin. No problems at all.

I have also had cataract surgery where I had to stop and restart Warfarin ....... no sweat ! No AF and no stroke.

Whatever you are having done needs to be a similar three way decision.

[Cookie24 in reply to BenHall1]

Did they use a bridging for your cataract surgery as well?

[BenHall1 in reply to Cookie24]

Sorry for delay, no bridging for cataract surgery at all. Once surgery was sorted I was back on anticoagulant at my next dose time.

[jeff1257]

I must have had 50 or more AFib attacks before I was diagnosed. I wasn’t anti-coagulated and didn’t have a stroke. I am surprise you need to go off for so long for eye surgery.

[CDreamer]

I also am surprised you have been asked to stop. I once queried my husbands’s advice to stop and turned out the hospital ‘assumed’ he was taking Warfarin and when they knew it was a DOAC said no, just miss the evening prior and morning dose. The hospital literature given out had not been updated! I’ve not stopped anticoagulants prior to surgery - just not taken the morning dose.

Have you checked with your surgeon and your cardiologist? It may depend upon the type of surgery you are having and your personal bleed risk but worth querying.

[Bagrat]

I had cataract surgery without coming off eliquis, if your surgery is more extensive, of course it may be a different story. Even so eliquis has a very short half life, which is why it's taken twice a day. Please check the nurse doing your pre assessment was au fait with eliqis, though these days they seem to have written protocols.

[Cookie24 in reply to Bagrat]

Glad to hear that Eliquis was not stopped for cataract surgery.

[Thomas45]

I have permanent, though asymptomatic, AF. I have had to stop prior to having two colonoscopies, and I also had the anticoagulant reversed prior to an emergency operation to remove my appendix. During that operation my heart rate rose to at least 190bpm. It was at 190 when I was woken up 3 hours after the operation had finished. It took 2.5 days to drop to below 70bpm, during which time I did not have any coagulation, nor was I on any medication for AF.

[RoyM]

I have had quite a bit of surgery on both eyes and wasn't asked to cease taking my anticoagulants (Apixaban) on any occasion.

[brit1 in reply to RoyM]

I will have surgery in eyelid (ptosis) and I assume coming off the Eliquis is to prevent excessive bleeding problems

[CDreamer in reply to brit1]

My husband had eyelid surgery to remove excess skin op a few years ago on both eyes and didn’t stop anticoagulation but you may find protocols vary from country to country. There was very little bleeding and it was a really quick procedure but Ptosis surgery is a little more involved.

Hope all goes well for you.

[RoyM]

You may be right...my surgery was limited to Cataract on both eyes. I also had prostate surgery and was told to stop the Apixaban 48 hrs before the surgery....good luck. Roy