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. 2020;15(3):234-240.
doi: 10.5114/pg.2019.88622. Epub 2019 Oct 9.

The safety of upper gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsy in patients receiving antithrombic drugs. A single-centre prospective observational study

Hilmi Bozkurt  1 , Tolga Ölmez  1 , Can İbrahim Bulut  1 , Özlem Zeliha Sert  1 , Zeynep Zehra Keklikkıran  1 , Erdal Karaköse  1 , Aziz Serkan Senger  1 , Sabiye Akbulut  2 , Erdal Polat  1 , Mustafa Duman  1
Affiliations

The safety of upper gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsy in patients receiving antithrombic drugs. A single-centre prospective observational study

Hilmi Bozkurt et al. Prz Gastroenterol. 2020.

Abstract

Introduction: In July 2012, the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society updated their guidelines on gastroenterological endoscopy in patients undergoing antithrombotic therapy, although the safety of endoscopic procedures in patients receiving antithrombotic drugs has yet to be sufficiently studied.

Aim: This study evaluates the safety of upper gastroenterological endoscopic biopsy in patients receiving antithrombotic drugs. We evaluated the prospective observational safety of endoscopic biopsy performed in the endoscopy unit of our patients using antithrombotic drugs.

Material and methods: Oesophagogastroduodenoscopies (OGD) and biopsies performed at a single endoscopy unit between July 2018 and February 2019 were examined in this prospective observational study. Patients receiving antithrombotic drugs due to cardiovascular and neurological reasons, who underwent an endoscopic mucosal biopsy for diagnostic purposes, were included in the study.

Results: The study was completed with 166 patients who underwent an endoscopic biopsy, from whom a total of 327 biopsies taken. The patients were examined in two groups: those "receiving antithrombotic drugs" and those who had "stopped taking antithrombotic drugs". There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to bleeding.

Conclusions: This prospective observational study showed that performing an endoscopic biopsy without the cessation of antithrombotic drugs does not increase bleeding risk. Low-risk procedures, such as endoscopic mucosal biopsies, can be performed confidently by experienced endoscopists.

Keywords: antithrombotic; bleeding; endoscopic biopsy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the study (30-day follow- up and analysis)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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