Use of an objective tool to assess platelet inhibition prior to off-pump coronary surgery to reduce blood usage.

Background: The current standard of care is to delay coronary surgery 5-7 days after clopidogrel exposure to prevent bleeding complications. We sought to determine the utility of an objective tool (ie, the VerifyNow assay) to measure platelet inhibition (PI) in patients receiving preoperative clopidogrel prior to off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (OPCABG).

Patients And Methods: Between June 2007 and July 2009, a total of 482 isolated OPCABG procedures were performed at our institution.