Palm Beach CRO

New ACCP Thrombosis Guidelines Offer Weak Support for Aspirin in Primary Prevention

New thrombosis guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians have come down in favor of aspirin use for primary prevention in adults over 50 years old [1]. Lead author of the coronary artery disease chapter of the guidelines, Dr Per Vandvik (Gjøvik Hospital, Oslo, Norway), noted that these are thought to be the first major guidelines to come out after the studies suggesting a reduction in cancer risk and mortality with aspirin were reported, and "incorporating these data pushed us to give aspirin a weak recommendation in primary prevention." Vandvik added: "I would say the cardiovascular benefit and the bleeding risk is pretty much well balanced, but the suggestion of a benefit in mortality may just swing the balance over to taking aspirin." But he stressed that this was not a blanket recommendation. "Doctors need to talk to their patients about it, and it is something they might want to consider." The ninth edition of the Antithrombotic Therapy and Prevention of Thrombosis Guidelines, published in the February 2012 issue of Chest, states: "People who are averse to taking medication over a prolonged time period for very small benefits will be disinclined to use aspirin for