Know more about medicine | Why do you need to stop taking warfarin before doing a gastroscopy?

The aunt had a history of atrial fibrillation for many years and had been taking warfarin. Recently, she felt stomach discomfort. The doctor recommended that she undergo a gastroscopy, but she needed to stop taking warfarin for a week first. Why should warfarin be stopped before a gastroscopy?

Warfarin is an anticoagulant drug, and long-term oral administration can cause prolonged bleeding. Complications such as bleeding and perforation can occur during endoscopic procedures such as endoscopic biopsy or polypectomy. Compared with ordinary patients, the risk of bleeding is higher when taking warfarin, and severe cases can cause massive gastrointestinal bleeding. Therefore, before undergoing a gastroscopy, especially high-risk procedures such as endoscopic polypectomy, the drug should be discontinued for 5 to 7 days to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding during the procedure.

If you take other oral anticoagulants such as clopidogrel, aspirin, ticagrelor, etc., you also need to inform your doctor before undergoing gastroscopy to conduct a comprehensive assessment of your risk of cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal bleeding to determine whether you need to stop taking the anticoagulant.