Blood thinners after by pass surgery?

After a Patient has had a 7 bypass and 13 years later a 3 bypass, should blood thinners be used for the remainder of the Patient's life or just aspirin or both?

[kenkeith]

The anti-platelet mechanism of an aspirin is sufficient to prevent blood clotting, and blood clots present a problem with stent implants so there usually is lifetime therapy.  Generally, aspirin is part of the regimen for heart patients.

Aspirin can reduce the risk of death if taken as directed by a doctor as soon as a heart attack is suspected. The FDA says that as little as one-half (160 mg) of a regular-strength aspirin tablet reduces the risk of death by up to 23 percent if administered when a heart attack is suspected and continued for 30 days thereafter. Aspirin taken during a suspected heart attack can also lessen the damaging effects of the heart attack.


Recurrent Heart Attack or Angina
Another use of aspirin is for the prevention of heart attacks in people who have suffered either a previous heart attack or who suffer from unstable angina. A regimen of aspirin for people who already had a previous heart attack reduced the risk of a second heart attack by about one-third. In patients suffering from unstable angina, the risk was reduced by 51 percent. Aspirin can prevent first heart attack and stroke in individuals with angina. This includes patients with clinical evidence of blockage to heart blood vessels such as those with a type of chest pain known as stable angina. Millions of Americans are in this high-risk category.


Stroke Prevention
The FDA recommends regular aspirin use to prevent a stroke in people who have suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke). Aspirin also helps prevent a second or recurrent stroke and, as with heart attacks, lessens the damaging effects of a stroke that does occur.