Colonic endoscopic mucosal resection in patients taking anticoagulants: Is heparin bridging therapy necessary?

OBJECTIVE: Heparin bridging therapy (HBT) reportedly increases the risk of post-procedural bleeding, and its safety during endoscopic interventions remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effects of peri-procedural HBT in patients taking anticoagulants who underwent colonic endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for polyps. METHODS: Patients who underwent colonic EMR while taking a single anticoagulant agent were enrolled in this study. Anticoagulants were temporarily ceased in all patients either without (the non-HBT group, prospectively enrolled) or with HBT (the HBT group, retrospectively enrolled). The incidences of post-procedural bleeding and anemia exacerbation and their length of hospitalization were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: There were altogether 43 consecutive adult patients (30 men; mean age 72.2 ± 7.4 years) in the non-HBT group and 41 sex- and age-matched adults (32 men; mean age 72.9 ± 8.3 years) in the HBT group. There were no significant differences in the location, number or size of resected polyps between the two groups. The percentage of patients with post-procedural bleeding within 2 weeks after colonic EMR in the non-HBT group was lower than that in the HBT group (2.3% vs 9.8%, P = 0.15), although the frequency of anemia exacerbation was not significantly different between the two groups. The total hospitalization length was shorter in the non-HBT compared with the HBT group (4.5 days vs 6.0 days, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: No patient in either group developed embolism during hospitalization. Colonic EMR with the temporary cessation of anticoagulants without HBT may be acceptable and beneficial for patients taking anticoagulants.

Intrapericardial diaphragmatic hernia after coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery graft: report of a case.

Surgeons should be aware of diaphragmatic hernia in obese patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using a gastroepiploic artery graft (GEA), even if the antegastric route is utilized.We report a case of diaphragmatic hernia, which occurred 88 months after initial CABG. A 64-year-old obese man underwent surgical repair of a diaphragmatic hernia. At initial surgery, the diaphragm was incised vertically and re-sutured, leaving a route for GEA graft. Both the stomach and the lateral segment of the liver were dislocated in the pericardial space. The diaphragmatic defect was closed with a polytetrafluoroethylene patch.

Intraoperative endotoxin adsorption for visceral malperfusion complicating acute type A aortic dissection.

A 65-year-old man presenting with visceral malperfusion complicating acute type A aortic dissection underwent emergent surgery. Bypass grafting from the right common iliac artery to the superior mesenteric artery was performed prior to central aortic repair because intestinal ischemia caused hemodynamic instability. Subsequently, the ascending aorta was replaced with a Dacron graft under a condition of circulatory arrest with selective cerebral perfusion. Endotoxin adsorption was carried out intraoperatively in parallel with cardiopulmonary bypass to prevent postoperative end-organ failure. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged from our hospital 31 days after surgery.

Spontaneous dissection of the superior mesenteric artery as a rare cause of acute abdomen: report of two cases.

Spontaneous dissection of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is a rare condition. Here we report 2 cases of spontaneous SMA dissection causing acute abdomen. Bowel infarction did not occur in either case despite total occlusion or severe stenosis of the SMA;we successfully managed isolated SMA dissection without surgical intervention. Our nonoperative management regimen for spontaneous SMA dissection consisted of intestinal rest with fasting, administration of a vasodilator, and blood pressure control. Surgical intervention should be unnecessary unless complications, such as intestinal infarction and abdominal angina, occur.