Aspirin should be discontinued prior to surgery in which timeframe?

• A. 1 day
• B. 7-10 days
• C. 2 weeks
• D. 1 month

Answer: (B)

Aspirin’s effect on platelets is irreversible, so normal platelet function returns only as new platelets are produced. Since platelets live about 7–10 days, stopping aspirin about seven to ten days before elective surgery allows enough time for most platelets to turnover and for bleeding risk to decrease.

Stopping too soon, like one day, won’t give enough time for platelets to regenerate, so bleeding risk remains higher during surgery. Stopping for two weeks or a month is longer than necessary and can unnecessarily raise the risk of a thrombotic event in patients relying on aspirin for cardioprotection. Therefore, seven to ten days is the best timeframe.