Perioperative management of anticoagulant users scheduled for glaucoma surgery: a survey among the Brazilian Glaucoma Society members.

PURPOSE To investigate and describe, among the members of the Brazilian Glaucoma Society (BGS), the practices regarding the perioperative management of anticoagulants (warfarin and aspirin) use in patients scheduled for glaucoma surgery. METHODS The active members of the Brazilian Glaucoma Society answered a questionnaire evaluating different aspects of their current perioperative management of glaucomatous patients taking warfarin or aspirin. RESULTS A total of 52 participants returned a complete questionnaire. Warfarin or aspirin was routinely interrupted prior to glaucoma surgery by 82.7% of the respondents. The majority of the surgeons who discontinued these medications reported doing so 7 days prior to surgery and resumed their use the day after the procedure. Almost half of our interviewees reported hemorrhagic complications that could be related to anticoagulant therapy. A large number of the surgeons (86.5%) preferred a particular surgical technique for anticoagulated patients; however, most of them (88.5%) do not change the anesthetic planning in such patients. Finally, the majority of the participants (90.4%) refer their anticoagulated patients to a preoperative appointment with a cardiologist or a general practitioner before the surgery. CONCLUSIONS The majority of Brazilian Glaucoma Society members participating in this study interrupt either warfarin or aspirin prior to glaucoma surgery. Although there is scant information available in the literature to offer definitive guidance, most participants from the Brazilian Glaucoma Society seem to share the same opinion when it comes to perioperative management of anticoagulant users.