My 76 year old friend had a double by pass surgery last Thursday. This morning he expereinced rectal bleeding. He is still in the hospital and was expecting to be discharged to go home today.  Can the blood thinners be causing the rectal bleeding?  What type of tests should be done?
Hello. Thank you for your question and welcome to Chat Doctor. I understand your concern. With your description I am assuming that you are referring to clear red blood in the stool. When this phenomenon happens, the problem is probably in lower "floors" of the digestive system, which means, in most of the cases, it can happen from hemorrhoids. In this aspect, I would suggest you to consult a general surgeon and a digital rectal examination should be performed. If you are referring to aspirin and/or clopidogrel, when you mention blood thinners, then they can cause bleeding from upper "floors" of the digestive system, such as the stomach or the duodenum (the most proximal part of the small intestine). In such case, in most of the cases, this bleeding is reflected by giving the stool a dark brown to black discoloring. However, I would suggest that a general surgeon should be consulted first, and then other diagnosis sought. I hope I was helpful with my answer. Take care.  