Atrial fibrillation increases your risk of clotting. Anticoagulation increases your risk of bleeding. Surgery increases your risk of both. Dr. Mike Rubenstein speaks with Dr. Jim Siegler this week about how providers weigh the risks and benefits of anticoagulant bridging in the perioperative setting.

Produced by Michael Rubenstein and James E. Siegler. Music by Chris Zabriskie, Lee Rosevere, and Jason Shaw. Voiceover by Erika Mejia. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision making.

REFERENCES

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3. Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation study. Final results. Circulation. 1991;84:527-539
4. Garcia DA, Regan S, Henault LE, Upadhyay A, Baker J, Othman M, et al. Risk of thromboembolism with short-term interruption of warfarin therapy. Archives of internal medicine. 2008;168:63-69
5. Raval AN, Cigarroa JE, Chung MK, Diaz-Sandoval LJ, Diercks D, Piccini JP, et al. Management of patients on non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants in the acute care and periprocedural setting: A scientific statement from the american heart association. Circulation. 2017;135:e604-e633
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