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Risks for bleeding and thrombosis must be taken into account when patients who receive oral anticoagulant therapy undergo elective colonoscopy. Is subsequent surgical removal of polyps or other potentially resectable lesions safe when anticoagulants have been temporarily discontinued? When should anticoagulants be resumed? What factors raise the risk for bleeding?
To answer such questions, investigators conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 1225 patients who underwent colonoscopy and polypectomy: 425 were receiving warfarin prior to the procedures, and 800 age-matched controls were not receiving warfarin. Most patients who were receiving warfarin stopped taking the drug 4 days before undergoing colonoscopy and resumed use with a loadi…