Antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents in vitreoretinal surgery: a prospective multicenter study involving 804 patients

Purpose To assess the rate of hemorrhagic complications after vitreoretinal surgery and the influence of antithrombotic agents. Methods Hemorrhagic complications of vitreoretinal procedures performed in seven ophthalmologic centers on patients treated or not treated with antiplatelet (AP) or anticoagulant (AC) agents were prospectively collected. Patients’ characteristics, surgical techniques, and complications were recorded during surgery and for 1 month after. Results Eight hundred four procedures were performed between January 2015 and April 2015. Among them, 18.4% were treated with AP agents ( n = 148) and 7.8% with AC agents ( n = 63), with 18 of them treated with NOACS (new oral anticoagulants). AP or AC agents were continued in 96.5% and 80.7% of cases, respectively. Fifty-three patients (6.6%) developed one or more hemorrhagic complications in one eye during this period. In univariate analysis, AC agents were not associated with hemorrhagic complications ( P = 0.329) in contrast to AP ( P = 0.005). However, in multivariate analysis, AP agents were no longer associated with hemorrhagic complications and the intraoperative use of endodiathermy was the only factor associated with hemorrhagic complications ( P = 0.001). Conclusions This study showed that AP and AC agents were not a factor associated with hemorrhagic complications during vitreoretinal surgery. The continuation of these treatments should be considered without risk of severe hemorrhagic complications.