RAmSES
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Reversal of the aspirin effects by heparin during surgery - a single centre, observational study.
IRAS ID
134938
Contact name
Alison Goodall
Contact email
Research summary
Blood platelets play a principal role in clot formation and help to stop bleeding and bruising. For patients with coronary heart disease, it is however very important to prevent a blood clot from forming in the heart vessels. Patients who are waiting for heart surgery are therefore given one or more blood thinning medications, such as Aspirin.
Whilst Aspirin is an effective first-line treatment to inhibit platelet function and prevent clot formation prior to surgery, we have recently found that the effect of Aspirin temporarily disappears during heart surgery itself, possibly as a result of medication (a drug called heparin) that is commonly given during the operation.
We want to investigate why and how this phenomenon is occurring. The information that we get from this research will help us to understand the factors that regulate platelet function during heart surgery and how this affects the clotting system during the per-operative period.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/EM/0355
Date of REC Opinion
18 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion