Safety of lumbar puncture for people who are treated with ADP receptor antagonists

Background Current guidelines state that clopidogrel and other adenosine-diphosphate receptor antagonists (ADPra) should be stopped for at least 7 days before lumbar puncture (LP). This practice may delay the diagnosis of treatable neurological emergencies and may increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity due to withholding antiplatelets. We aimed to summarize all cases under our care, in which LP was performed without discontinued ADPra. Methods A retrospective case series study of all patients who underwent LP without interruption of ADPRa or with treatment interruption that was shorter than 7 days. Medical records were searched for documented complications. Traumatic tap was defined as cerebrospinal fluid red cell count ≥ 1000 cell/μL. Incidence of traumatic tap among people who underwent LP under ADPRa was compared to traumatic tap incidence in two control groups: LP under aspirin and LP without any anti-platelet. Results 159 patients underwent LP under ADPRa [Age: 68.4 ± 12.1, Female: 63 (40%), 81 (51%) were treated with both aspirin and ADPRa]. 116 procedures were carried out without any interruption of ADPRa. In the other 43, the median delay between treatment interruption and the procedure was 2 days (range: 1–6 days). Incidence of traumatic tap was 8/159 (5%), 9/159 (5.7%) and 4/160 (2.5%) among those who underwent LP under ADPRa, under aspirin and without any anti-platelet, respectively. [ X 2 (2) = 2.13, P = 0.35)]. No patient developed spinal hematoma or any neurological deficit. Conclusions Lumbar puncture without discontinuation of ADP receptor antagonists seems safe. Similar case series may ultimately lead to guidelines change.