Blood Thinner Decision
Should I Take a Blood Thinner for 1 Month after my Major Abdominal Surgery or Not?
We have developed a tool that can calculate your personal risk of a blood clot and help you make a decision on blood thinners. But first, see some information on blood clots below!
This tool is for you if: You are 18 years or older and going for major abdominal surgery. An easy way to know if you are going to undergo a major abdominal surgery is if your surgeon expects your surgery to last more than two hours. If you are not sure about this, please speak to your healthcare team
What is a blood clot?
- Occurs when blood changes from a liquid to a gel-like state inside of blood vessels.
- Blood clots can form in your leg veins (deep vein thrombosis, DVT) and travel to your lungs (pulmonary embolism, PE).
- Some blood clots may have no signs, some blood clots may cause mild pain, and some can be life threatening.
What is your risk of getting a blood clot?
- People’s risk of getting a blood clot is different.
- Blood clots are a known complication of surgery, and this risk is increased in patients with cancer.
How can you reduce your risk of having a blood clot?
- Drugs, such as enoxaparin, are injection medicines given once a day to all patients while they are still in hospital after a surgery to reduce the chance of getting a clot.
- You may choose to keep taking this blood thinner for 28 days total after your discharge to help reduce the risk of a blood clot or you may stop taking it when you go home.
- This decision depends on the personal risk factors of a patient, as well as what the patient prefers.
- Side effects may include bleeding from your incision, bruising, or a skin reaction where you inject the medicine.
- You may ask your physician about other pills or exercises that may reduce the risk of blood clots. As of now these are NOT approved by Health Canada.
