This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
Objective: To address whether to restart older patients on anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents in the setting of a chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH).
Methods: This is an update of a previous review (searched until July 2012). Medline, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, PLOS, and the Cochrane Register for Systematic Reviews databases were searched from January 2012 to December 2016. Studies included older adults (those over 65 years) experiencing traumatic subdural hematoma or cSDH who were on anticoagulation or antiplatelet agents.
Results: Seven studies were included (mean age 72 years). Four out of 7 studies provided combined data on anticoagulants or antiplatelet use. Only one study found anticoagulant or antiplatelet agent use to be a significant factor for cSDH rebleeding. Two studies considered anticoagulant use only and both reported similar increased odds of rebleeding (odds ratio [OR] 1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18–16.86; OR 2.7 95% CI 1.42–6.96). Antiplatelets were not found to be associated with rebleeding. Ideal timing to resume anticoagulants or antiplatelets was unclear.
Conclusions: Anticoagulant medication was associated with increased rebleeding risk in older adults with cSDH. However, antiplatelet medication was not associated with increased risk of rebleeding.
GLOSSARY
- CI=
- confidence interval;
- cSDH=
- chronic subdural hematoma;
- GRADE=
- Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation;
- OR=
- odds ratio;
- SDH=
- subdural hematoma
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
Supplemental data at Neurology.org
Editorial, page 1880
- Received September 14, 2016.
- Accepted in final form January 26, 2017.
- © 2017 American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Topics Discussed
Alert Me
Recommended articles
Thromboembolism prevention after chronic subdural hematoma in the elderly
Antithrombotic drugs and risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the general population
Atrial fibrillation, antithrombotic treatment, and cognitive aging
Antithrombotic pretreatment increases very-early mortality in primary intracerebral hemorrhage