Continued versus interrupted aspirin use and bleeding risk after endoscopic submucosal dissection of gastric neoplasms: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Balancing the risk of bleeding and thromboembolic events for patients who use aspirin and need to undergo endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric neoplasms is a delicate process. The current guidelines from different associations provide inconsistent recommendations.

Methods MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched through August 2017 for studies that compared the risk of post-ESD bleeding in patients who continued aspirin vs. those who discontinued aspirin preoperatively. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effect model, generic inverse variance method. The betweenstudy heterogeneity was quantified using the Q statistic and I2.

Results A total of five studies that included 700 patients were identified. Our meta-analysis could not demonstrate a significantly increased risk of post-ESD bleeding among the aspirincontinued group compared to the aspirin-interrupted group, the pooled OR being 1.81 (95%CI 0.85-3.83). The statistical heterogeneity was insignificant, with an I2 of 25%. Nine thrombotic events occurred in the aspirin-interrupted group whereas none occurred in the aspirincontinued group.

Conclusions This meta-analysis could not demonstrate that continuation of aspirin significantly increases the risk of post-ESD bleeding. However, the analysis was restricted by the small sample size and the observational nature of the primary studies. Randomized controlled trials are still needed to clarify this risk.

Keywords Antiplatelet, aspirin, bleeding, endoscopic submucosal dissection, gastric neoplasms

Ann Gastroenterol 2018; 31 (3): 344-349