Blood thinners and the lap band surgery

toomuchsusie59 · February 29, 2008

Hello from Ohio... I am considering the lap banding, but was wondering what precautions does a person on blood thinners have to take before, during, and after surgery. Have any of you banders been on coumadin before your surgery, and what did your surgeon have you do before the surgery. Did you have to go off of the coumadin, and for how long? My cardiologist doesn't want me off of coumadin for very long and before my colonoscopy last week, had me go on Lovenox injections for 3 days prior and almost 8 days after the scoping to prevent blood clots from forming. I had many pulmonary embolisms a week after my triple heart bypass in 2005, and now my cardiologist wants me to stay on blood thinners the rest of my life. Did anyone else have an issue with blood thinners before your surgery? :confused:

nip50 · February 29, 2008

I'm on coumadin also and yes they will need you off coumadin before the surgery. Your cardiologist and lapband surgeon will decide how they want to handle it. They had me stop the coumadin about 3 days prior to surgery and then was on lovenox, but I started back on coumadin the day after surgery. Everyone's circumstances are different, mine is due to a heart condition and not a pulmonary embolism. Good luck.

Shadow08 · March 12, 2008

I too am on coumadin. I will need to have a 'cage filter' implaned in my vena cave prior to surgery. this will "catch" any loose clots prior to heading to the lungs. I too had trouble with pulmonary emboli so this is one area that needs to be done before the lap band is done

mss · March 12, 2008

I had a PE a few years ago but had been off the daily blood thinners prior to surgery. My surgeon asked me to see the haematologist before surgery and together they worked out the anti-coagulation plan for me pre-and post surgery. Good luck with it all.

Elisabethsew · March 12, 2008

I had pulmonary emboli in both lungs and was on Coumadin. I stopped taking Coumadin 3 days prior to surgery and then took Lovenox injections for 3 days post-op. I went back on Coumadin the day after surgery.