By Will Boggs MD NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 26 - The risk of bleeding after combined coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and valve surgery is higher when chronic aspirin therapy is stopped within five days of the operation, compared to when it's stopped at least six days in advance. The finding is from a review of such surgeries done at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, reported by Dr. Leslie Cho and colleagues. Dr. Cho told Reuters Health by email that surgeons need to weigh the risk of bleeding vs. the benefit of aspirin before combined CABG/valve surgery. "For example, if the patient has a drug-eluting stent and needs surgery, continuing aspirin makes sense,' Dr. Cho said. "However, if the patient is at high risk of bleeding" - because of anemia or older age, or because the surgery is a redo, for example - "then holding aspirin makes sense." The data, from 1,963 patients on chronic aspirin therapy who underwent nonemergent CABG/valve surgery, we...