Safety of Perioperative Maintenance of Antiplatelet Agents in Elderly Patients Undergoing Lung Cancer Surgery

Background: The maintenance of antiplatelet therapy increases the risk of bleeding during lung cancer surgery. Conversely, the perioperative interruption of antiplatelet therapy may result in serious thrombotic complications. This study aimed to investigate the safety of continuing antiplatelet therapy in the context of lung cancer surgery. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a cohort of 498 elderly patients who underwent surgery for lung cancer. These patients were categorized into 2 groups: group N, which did not receive antiplatelet therapy, and group A, which did. Group A was subsequently subdivided into group Am, where antiplatelet therapy was maintained, and group Ai, where antiplatelet therapy was interrupted. We compared the incidence of bleeding-related and thrombotic complications across the 3 groups. Results: There were 387 patients in group N and 101 patients in group A (Ai: 70, Am: 31). No significant differences were found in intraoperative blood loss, thoracotomy conversion rates, transfusion requirements, volume of chest tube drainage, or reoperation rates for bleeding control between groups N and A or between groups Am and Ai. The duration of hospital stay was longer for group A compared to group N (7 days vs. 6 days, p=0.005), but there was no significant difference between groups Ai and Am. The incidence of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular complications did not differ significantly between groups Ai and Am. However, group Ai included a severe case of in-hospital ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Conclusion: The maintenance of antiplatelet therapy was found to be safe in terms of perioperative bleeding and thrombotic complications in elderly lung cancer surgery patients.