Cite this article as: Bjo ¨rklund E, Hansson EC, Romlin BS, Jeppsson A, Malm CJ. Postoperative platelet function is associated with severe bleeding in ticagrelor-treated patients. Interact CardioVasc Thorac Surg 2019;28:709–15. Postoperative platelet function is associated with severe bleeding in ticagrelor-treated patients Erik Bjo ¨rklund a,b , Emma C. Hansson b,c , Birgitta S. Romlin d , Anders Jeppsson b,c, * and Carl Johan Malm c a Department of Internal Medicine, So ¨ dra A ¨ lvsborg Hospital, Bora ˚ s, Sweden b Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden c Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden d Department of Paediatric Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden * Corresponding author. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden. Tel: +46-31-3427515, mobile +46-736-601787; e-mail anders.jeppsson@vgregion.se (A. Jeppsson). Received 11 July 2018; received in revised form 4 November 2018; accepted 9 November 2018 Abstract OBJECTIVES: Preoperative testing of platelet function predicts bleeding risk in cardiac surgery patients treated with dual antiplatelet ther- apy, but the value of postoperative platelet function testing, reflecting both preoperative antiplatelet therapy and perioperative changes in platelet function, has not been evaluated. METHODS: Seventy-four patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with acetylsalicylic acid and ticagrelor within 5 days before car- diac surgery were included in a prospective observational study. Platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate, arachidonic acid and thrombin receptor-activating peptide was assessed with multiple electrode impedance aggregometry immediately before surgery and 2 h after weaning off cardiopulmonary bypass. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine any association between platelet aggregation and severe bleeding according to the universal definition of perioperative bleeding in adult cardiac surgery. ADULT CARDIAC V C The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved. Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery 28 (2019) 709–715 ORIGINAL ARTICLE doi:10.1093/icvts/ivy336 Advance Access publication 22 December 2018 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/28/5/709/5258068 by guest on 19 August 2022