Long-term health benefits of stroke prevention with apixaban versus vitamin K antagonist warfarin in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation in Germany: a population-based modelling study

Background and purposeCerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are radiological markers which predict future intracerebral haemorrhage. Researchers are exploring how CMBs can guide anticoagulation decisions in atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) exposure and prevalence of CMBs in Chinese patients with AF.MethodsWe prospectively recruited Chinese patients with AF on NOAC therapy of ≥30 days for 3T MRI brain for evaluation of CMBs and white matter hyperintensities. Patients with AF without prior exposure to oral anticoagulation were recruited as control group.ResultsA total of 282 patients were recruited, including 124 patients in NOAC group and 158 patients in control group. Mean duration of NOAC exposure was 723.8±500.3 days. CMBs were observed in 103 (36.5%) patients. No significant correlation was observed between duration of NOAC exposure and quantity of CMBs. After adjusting for confounding factors (ie, age, hypertension, labile hypertension, stroke history and white matter scores), previous intracerebral haemorrhage was predictive of CMBs (OR 15.28, 95% CI 1.81 to 129.16), particularly lobar CMBs (OR 5.37, 95% CI 1.27 to 22.6). While white matter score was predictive of mixed lobar CMBs (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.5), both exposure and duration of NOAC use were not predictive of presence of CMBs.ConclusionsIn Chinese patients with AF, duration of NOAC exposure did not correlate with prevalence and burden of CMBs. Further studies with follow-up MRI are needed to determine if long-term NOAC therapy can lead to development of new CMBs.

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Discontinuation of oral anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation and risk of ischaemic stroke

Heart ◽

10.1136/heartjnl-2020-317887 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. heartjnl-2020-317887

Author(s):

Luis Alberto García Rodríguez ◽

Lucía Cea Soriano ◽

Stine Munk Hald ◽

Jesper Hallas ◽

Yanina Balabanova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Ischaemic Stroke ◽

Vitamin K ◽

Oral Anticoagulant ◽

Population Based ◽

Vitamin K Antagonist ◽

Control Analysis ◽

The Uk ◽

Case Control Analysis ◽

Nested Case Control

ObjectiveTo evaluate associations between oral anticoagulant (OAC) discontinuation and risk of ischaemic stroke (IS) among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).MethodsWe undertook a population-based cohort study with nested case–control analysis using UK primary care electronic health records (IQVIA Medical Research Data-UK) and linked registries from the Region of Southern Denmark (RSD). Patients with AF (76 882 UK, 41 526 RSD) were followed to identify incident IS cases during 2016–2018. Incident IS cases were matched by age and sex to controls. Adjusted ORs for OAC discontinuation (vs current OAC use) were calculated using logistic regression.ResultsWe identified 616 incident IS cases in the UK and 643 in the RSD. ORs for IS with any OAC discontinuation were 2.99 (95% CI 2.31 to 3.86, UK) and 2.30 (95% CI 1.79 to 2.95, RSD), for vitamin K antagonist discontinuation they were 2.38 (95% CI 1.72 to 3.30, UK) and 1.83 (95% CI 1.34 to 2.49, RSD), and for non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant discontinuation they were 4.59 (95% CI 2.97 to 7.08, UK) and 3.37 (95% CI 2.35 to 4.85, RSD). ORs were unaffected by time since discontinuation and duration of use. Annually, up to 987 IS cases in the UK and 132 in Denmark could be preventable if OAC therapy is not discontinued.ConclusionsOur results suggest that patients with AF who discontinue OAC therapy have a significant twofold to threefold higher risk of IS compared with those who continue therapy. Addressing OAC discontinuation could potentially result in a significant reduction in AF-attributed IS.

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Cessation of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation

Heart ◽

10.1136/heartjnl-2020-317418 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. heartjnl-2020-317418

Author(s):

Melissa E Middeldorp ◽

Aashray Gupta ◽

Adrian Elliott ◽

Kadhim Kadhim ◽

Anand Thiyagarajah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Vitamin K ◽

Oral Anticoagulants ◽

Female Gender ◽

Vitamin K Antagonist ◽

Serious Adverse Events ◽

Care Clinic ◽

Multivariable Analyses

ObjectiveTo characterise the rate, causes and predictors of cessation of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).Patients and methodsConsecutive patients with AF with a long-term anticoagulation indication treated with NOACs (dabigatran, apixaban and rivaroxaban) in our centre from September 2010 through December 2016 were included. Prospectively collected data with baseline characteristics, causes of cessation, mean duration-to-cessation and predictors of cessation were analysed.ResultsThe study comprised 1415 consecutive patients with AF, of whom 439 had a CHA2DS2-VASc≥1 and were on a NOAC. Mean age was 71.9±8.7 years and 37% were females. Over a median follow-up of 3.6 years (IQR=2.7–5.3), 147 (33.5%) patients ceased their index-NOAC (113 switched to a different form of OAC), at a rate of 8.8 per 100 patient-years. Serious adverse events warranting NOAC cessation occurred in 28 patients (6.4%) at a rate of 1.6 events per 100 patient-years. The mean duration-to-cessation was 4.9 years (95% CI 4.6 to 5.1) and apixaban had the longest duration-to-cessation with (5.1, 95% CI 4.8 to 5.4) years, compared with dabigatran (4.6, 95% CI 4.2 to 4.9) and rivaroxaban (4.5, 95% CI 3.9 to 5.1), pairwise log-rank p=0.002 and 0.025, respectively. In multivariable analyses, age was an independent predictor of index-NOAC cessation (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05; p=0.006). Female gender (HR 2.2, 95% CI 1.04 to 4.64; p=0.04) independently predicted serious adverse events.ConclusionIn this ‘real world’ cohort, NOAC use is safe and well-tolerated when prescribed in an integrated care clinic. Whether apixaban is better tolerated compared with other NOACs warrants further study.

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Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circulationaha.120.049768 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 (24) ◽

pp. 2371-2388

Author(s):

Aristeidis H Katsanos ◽

Hooman Kamel ◽

Jeff S. Healey ◽

Robert G. Hart

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

High Risk ◽

Vitamin K ◽

Stroke Prevention ◽

Oral Anticoagulant ◽

Oral Anticoagulants ◽

Vitamin K Antagonist ◽

Bleeding Complications ◽

Secondary Stroke Prevention

Ischemic strokes related to atrial fibrillation are highly prevalent, presenting with severe neurologic syndromes and associated with high risk of recurrence. Although advances have been made in both primary and secondary stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation, the long-term risks for stroke recurrence and bleeding complications from antithrombotic treatment remain substantial. We summarize the major advances in stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation during the past 30 years and focus on novel diagnostic and treatment approaches currently under investigation in ongoing clinical trials. Non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants have been proven to be safer and equally effective compared with warfarin in stroke prevention for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants are being investigated for the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation and rheumatic heart disease, for the treatment of patients with recent embolic stroke of undetermined source and indirect evidence of cardiac embolism, and in the prevention of vascular-mediated cognitive decline in patients with atrial fibrillation. Multiple clinical trials are assessing the optimal timing of non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant initiation after a recent ischemic stroke and the benefit:harm ratio of non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation and history of previous intracranial bleeding. Ongoing trials are addressing the usefulness of left atrial appendage occlusion in both primary and secondary stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation, including those with high risk of bleeding. The additive value of prolonged cardiac monitoring for subclinical atrial fibrillation detection through smartphone applications or implantable cardiac devices, together with the optimal medical management of individuals with covert paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, is a topic of intensive research interest. Colchicine treatment and factor XIa inhibition constitute 2 novel pharmacologic approaches that might provide future treatment options in the secondary prevention of cardioembolic stroke attributable to atrial fibrillation.

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PRM20 - CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF STANDARD-DOSE AND LOW-DOSE NON-VITAMIN K ANTAGONIST ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS IN PATIENTS WITH NONVALVULAR ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: A NATIONWIDE POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY

Value in Health ◽

10.1016/j.jval.2018.09.2144 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

pp. S359

Author(s):

JE Yun

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Vitamin K ◽

Low Dose ◽

Standard Dose ◽

Oral Anticoagulants ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Population Based ◽

Vitamin K Antagonist ◽

Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation

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Gaps in translation from trials to practice: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1160/th13-12-1032 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 111 (05) ◽

pp. 783-788 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Darae Ko ◽

Christina L. Cove ◽

Elaine M. Hylek

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Vitamin K ◽

Stroke Prevention ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Oral Anticoagulants ◽

Vitamin K Antagonist ◽

Major Advance ◽

Single Target ◽

Anticoagulant Drugs

SummaryWorldwide there is a tremendous need for affordable anticoagulants that do not require monitoring. The advent of the non-warfarin oral anticoagulant drugs represents a major advance for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). The objectives of this review are to 1) identify gaps in our current knowledge regarding use of these single target anticoagulant drugs; 2) outline the potential implications of these gaps for clinical practice, and thereby, 3) highlight areas of research to further optimise their use for stroke prevention in AF.

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