Aspirin has been shown to be worthy of consideration for secondary, and in some cases primary, prevention of heart attacks and strokes but carries known risks for gastrointestinal side effects. If you're not certain whether to recommend low-dose aspirin to a patient, the aspirin cardiovascular/gastrointestinal risk calculator can help with the clinical decision. A paper recently published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics describes the development and use of this practical tool.