Thank you Monica.
That explanation makes sense, and I did mention that if anticoagulant use directly affected the treatment modality then it could be a mediator. There are peri-operative strategies that can be used for drugs like warfarin such as bridge to heparin or enoxaparin, so I didn't think it would be the anticoagulant that directly affects treatment modality choice, but thought it was more the comorbidities that affect treatment modality due to surgical risks as shown in the DAG I posted.
Thanks!
Kristen