Introduction:
Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug that reduces fever, pain, and inflammation. NSAIDs are not steroids. Steroids have similar properties but are not good for everyone and can have side effects. These are non-narcotic. That is, they do not cause insensibility or stupor. They are helpful in bone fracture cases also.
What Is Aspirin?
Aspiring is an NSAID, which is proven to be the best medicine for many diseases such as pain, cardiovascular diseases, etc. It is used prior to many surgeries and continued even later. It is also known as an anti-thrombotic (blood thinner) agent or acetylsalicylic acid.
What Are the Uses of Aspirin?
Aspirin has many uses in reducing pain and swelling, and various cardiovascular diseases. Some of the uses are described below.
Pain and Swelling: It can reduce mild to moderate pain and swelling, or both associated with many health issues such as,
- Cold or flu.
- Headache.
- Sprains and strains.
- Menstrual cramps.
- Arthritis.
- Migraine.
Prevention of Cardiovascular Events: Aspirin, when taken daily at a lower dose, can prevent the risk of cardiovascular events in some patients. It is not safe for everyone. It helps by preventing blood clot formation. Doctors recommend it for individuals who:
- Have a heart or a blood vessel disease.
- Have poor blood flow to the brain.
- Have high blood pressure.
- Have high blood cholesterol.
- Have diabetes.
- Smoke.
Treating Coronary Events: It can be given immediately after a heart attack, stroke, or other coronary events to prevent clot formation; and in patients after coronary bypass surgery. A blood clot causes an ischemic stroke.
Other Uses: Other uses of Aspirin can be seen in people who suffer from chronic health conditions, such as,
- Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or other joint inflammatory condition.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Pericarditis, the inflammation around the heart.
- In people with retinal damage, also known as retinopathy.
- People who have had diabetes for more than 10 years.
- People who are taking anti-hypertensive medications.
How Does Aspirin Help in Preventing Deadly Complications in Hospitalized Bone Fracture Patients?
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A fracture is a condition in which the continuity of the bone is lost. This is majorly due to high-pressure impact or stress on the bone. For the treatment or rejoining of the bone, surgery is required. It is seen that venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication with a high incidence seen in hospitalized and after-discharge patients, and post surgeries too. After major orthopedic surgeries, the probability of blood coagulability persists for up to four weeks, and the chances of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) last for three months. Even in most of the discharged patients, episodes of VTE are seen.
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After bone surgery in legs or arms, people are often given blood thinners to prevent the possibility of blood clot formation in their legs or lungs, weeks after surgery. To prevent this condition in the orthopedic trauma patients, the solution is the administration of low-molecular-weight heparin after discharge. Its two shots are suggested in a day. However, it is expensive.
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New studies suggest that Aspirin is as effective as low-molecular-weight heparin and helps prevent blood clot formation. In addition, the low cost of Aspirin has helped people a lot.
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To prove this, a randomized clinical trial was conducted on 12000 patients in 21 departments of trauma cases in the U.S. and Canada. It was conducted on people above 18 years of age and is considered the largest trial ever done on orthopedic trauma patients worldwide. The collaboration between the orthopedic and trauma surgeons highlighted the importance of evaluating the risk after surgery, such as clot formation, infections, etc., by high-quality study methods. In this trial, half of the people were given low-dose Aspirin, and half were given low-molecular-weight heparin. It was found that both gave almost similar effects in preventing blood clot formation, and many people will take Aspirin dose daily rather than low-molecular-weight heparin. Of all the parameters, the only difference was fewer clots in the legs in the low-molecular-weight heparin group. However, this was not clinically important.
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This study on 12,221 patients revealed that Aspirin was “non-inferior”, or no worse than the low-molecular-weight heparin and had no harm. The number of deaths caused was 47 in the Aspirin group and 45 in the heparin group. Bleeding complications and other secondary outcomes were similar in both cases.
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As per the U.S. CDC (Center for Disease Control), blood clots every year leads to around 100000 deaths in the U.S. alone. Moreover, fracture cases patients who need surgery are likely to develop a clot in the lungs and limbs. Since the lungs play an important role in respiration, clots in the lungs can be a life-threatening condition. Thus, to prevent such clot formations, use of low-molecular-weight heparin or Aspirin is suggested. Aspirin is less costly, so it is a suitable replacement for low-income countries with proper trials and adequate studies.
Conclusion:
Fibrin is a blood clotting agent which acts by forming a mesh-like net that traps the platelets and forms a clot. When a bone breaks, so do the blood vessels and they form clots to stop bleeding. The healing gets delayed in bone fracture cases. While in children, healing is fast due to low fibrin levels. If the fibrinogen levels are lowered, it could promote faster healing.
Therefore, it is essential that clots should be removed timely, or prevented from forming during or after bone surgeries. In most cases, post-surgical clot formation can be seen, such as in hip surgery. Clots in limbs and lungs are commonly seen in fracture cases that need surgery. In some cases, after discharge too, clot formation is seen. To avoid clot formation, earlier, a low-molecular-weight heparin was the only solution, but nowadays, Aspirin which is similar to it, is also used. This shows the same effects and is relatively cheaper than the low-molecular-weight heparin. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that acts as an analgesic and is prescribed for patients with long-term health issues. Its benefits are seen in cardiovascular patients as it acts as a blood thinner too. It is also recommended by doctors at the time of heart attack, stroke, or pericarditis.
