Is Menstruation a Valid Reason to Postpone Cardiac Surgery?

Abstract

Background: Cancellation of any scheduled surgery is a significant drain on health resources and potentially stressful for patients. It is frequent in menstruating women who are scheduled to undergo open heart surgery (OHS), based on the widespread belief that it increases surgical and menstrual blood loss. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate blood loss in women undergoing OHS during menstruation. Settings and Design: A prospective, matched case-control study which included sixty women of reproductive age group undergoing OHS. Patients and Methods: The surgical blood loss was compared between women who were menstruating (group-M; n = 25) and their matched controls, i.e., women who were not menstruating (group-NM; n = 25) at the time of OHS. Of the women in group M, the menstrual blood loss during preoperative (subgroup-P) and perioperative period (subgroup-PO) was compared to determine the effect of OHS on menstrual blood loss. Results: The surgical blood loss was comparable among women in both groups irrespective of ongoing menstruation (gr-M = 245.6 ± 120.1 ml vs gr-NM = 243.6 ± 129.9 ml, P value = 0.83). The menstrual blood loss was comparable between preoperative and perioperative period in terms of total menstrual blood loss (gr-P = 36.8 ± 4.8 ml vs gr-PO = 37.7 ± 5.0 ml, P value = 0.08) and duration of menstruation (gr-P = 4.2 ± 0.6 days vs gr-PO = 4.4 ± 0.6 days, P value = 0.10). Conclusion: Neither the surgical blood loss nor the menstrual blood loss is increased in women undergoing OHS during menstruation.

Does Progesterone Affect Perioperative Blood Loss during Posterior Spinal Fusion Surgeries in Female Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis? A Retrospective Study

“…that women undergoing open heart surgery during menstruation did not experience any increase in either surgical or menstrual blood loss. 23 …”

“…It was found by Das et al that women undergoing open heart surgery during menstruation did not experience any increase in either surgical or menstrual blood loss. 23 There are few studies on menstruation and perioperative blood loss in PSF surgery. A study by Li et al 24 analyzed 161 cases of AIS by grouping them into four categories: premenstrual (24-30 days), follicular (6-11 days), ovulatory (12-17 days), and luteal (18-23 days).…”