Ticagrelor impact on cardiac surgery patients

Ticagrelor, in addition to aspirin, has been demonstrated to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome compared to clopidogrel with aspirin. The treatment effect appeared to be maintained in the subgroup of patients who underwent urgent surgical revascularization. However, the risk of postoperative bleeding in these patients has not been well described. We aimed to establish the effect of ticagrelor exposure within 7 days before surgery on blood loss as measured by postoperative chest tube output and blood product use.