scholarly journals Vitamin K antagonists versus direct oral anticoagulants after cardiac surgery: a 31-country cohort study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Whitlock ◽  
E.P Belley-Cote ◽  
J Healey ◽  
P.J Devereaux ◽  
J Eikelboom ◽  
...  

Abstract Background About 10% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery have a history of atrial fibrillation (AF). Among these patients, uncertainty exists regarding the safest and most effective oral anticoagulant (OAC) during the postoperative period. Purpose To evaluate practice patterns regarding OAC early after cardiac surgery in patients with a preoperative history of AF and to compare the safety and effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) versus vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Methods We conducted a nested cohort study within the Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study (LAAOS) III (NCT01561651). LAAOS III included patients with AF undergoing cardiac surgery with a CHA2DS2-VASC ≥2. In this substudy, we examined patients without end-stage renal dysfunction (eGFR >30 mL/min/1.73m2) who were discharged on OAC. We evaluated bleeding and thromboembolism within 90 days postoperatively using logistic regression adjusting for CHA2DS2-VASC score. Results Recruitment started in 2012 and completed in 2018 in 113 centres in 31 countries. Of the 4811 patients enrolled in LAAOS III, 3725 (77%) were included in this substudy. Preoperatively, 58% of patients received OAC: 56% DOACs and 44% VKAs. At hospital discharge 23% received DOACs and 77% VKAs; 55% of patients on a DOAC at baseline were switched to a VKA while 5% of patients on a VKA were switched to a DOAC. Patients discharged on a DOAC were older, had a higher CHA2DS2-VASC, and were more likely to be male. Patients having undergone an isolated coronary bypass procedure were more likely prescribed DOACs than VKAs (41% vs 23%, p<0.001) whereas isolated non-mechanical valve patients were more likely to be prescribed VKAs (43% vs 28%, p<0.001). Switching from a DOAC to a VKA postoperatively occurred in 42% of patients In Australia/New Zealand, 49% in Europe, and 63% in North America. Major bleeding between 48 hours postoperatively and 30 days occurred in 1.5% in the DOAC group and 1.3% in the VKA group (aOR 1.14, 95% CI 0.60–2.15, p=0.69) while between 48 hours and 90 days, it occurred in 1.8% of patients in both groups (aOR 0.97, 95% CI, 0.54–1.17, p=0.91). Cardiac tamponade, the composite of stroke and systemic arterial embolism, and the composite of stroke, systemic arterial embolism and death did not differ significantly at 30 and 90 days between the DOAC and VKA groups. Conclusions VKAs was the dominant OAC used early after cardiac surgery, but postoperative OAC practices varied by region. After adjustment for CHA2DS2-VASC score, the early postoperative incidence of major bleeding and of the composite of stroke and systemic arterial embolism did not differ significantly when DOACs were compared with VKAs. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): CIHR, Heart and Stroke Foundation

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Brockmeyer ◽  
Y Lin ◽  
C Parco ◽  
A Karathanos ◽  
T Krieger ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Uninterrupted anticoagulation during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (CAAF) became standard of care after positive results of trials investigating vitamin K antagonists (VKA). Previous studies and meta-analyses of uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) vs. VKA have given controversial results. We thus aimed to elucidate the risks and benefits of uninterrupted DOAC vs. VKA during CAAF in an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods Online databases were searched for RCTs comparing uninterrupted DOAC to VKA in patients undergoing CAAF until September 2019. Data from retrieved studies were analysed in a comprehensive meta-analysis. Primary safety outcome was major bleeding; primary efficacy outcome was stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Secondary outcomes included a composite of major bleeding and stroke or TIA, minor bleeding, acute cerebral lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (ACL) and mortality. Results Six eligible RCTs comprising 2,369 patients were included. Pooled meta-analysis showed no significant differences in DOAC vs. VKA concerning the rates of major bleeding (2.2% vs. 3.8%; odds ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30–1.56; p=0.37) and stroke or TIA (0.2% vs. 0.2%; OR 0.97, CI 0.20–4.72; p=0.97). There were no significant differences found in secondary outcomes (OR 0.73, p=0.49 for composite of major bleeding and stroke or TIA; OR 1.08, p=0.52 for minor bleeding; OR 1.12, p=0.59 for ACL; and OR=0.60, p=0.64 for all-cause mortality). Conclusion Our meta-analysis suggests that uninterrupted periprocedural anticoagulation with DOAC or VKA is characterized by a similar risk/benefit ratio in patients undergoing CAAF with comparable rates of major bleeding and stroke. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Medical faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany


Author(s):  
Marco Valerio Mariani ◽  
Michele Magnocavallo ◽  
Martina Straito ◽  
Agostino Piro ◽  
Paolo Severino ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are recommended as first-line anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, in patients with cancer and AF the efficacy and safety of DOACs are not well established. Objective We performed a meta-analysis comparing available data regarding the efficacy and safety of DOACs vs vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in cancer patients with non-valvular AF. Methods An online search of Pubmed and EMBASE libraries (from inception to May, 1 2020) was performed, in addition to manual screening. Nine studies were considered eligible for the meta-analysis involving 46,424 DOACs users and 182,797 VKA users. Results The use of DOACs was associated with reduced risks of systemic embolism or any stroke (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.52–0.81; p 0.001), ischemic stroke (RR 0.84; 95% CI 0.74–0.95; p 0.007) and hemorrhagic stroke (RR 0.61; 95% CI 0.52–0.71; p 0.00001) as compared to VKA group. DOAC use was associated with significantly reduced risks of major bleeding (RR 0.68; 95% CI 0.50–0.92; p 0.01) and intracranial or gastrointestinal bleeding (RR 0.64; 95% CI 0.47–0.88; p 0.006). Compared to VKA, DOACs provided a non-statistically significant risk reduction of the outcomes major bleeding or non-major clinically relevant bleeding (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.78–1.13; p 0.50) and any bleeding (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.78–1.06; p 0.24). Conclusions In comparison to VKA, DOACs were associated with a significant reduction of the rates of thromboembolic events and major bleeding complications in patients with AF and cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm our results.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Pardo Sanz ◽  
L M Rincon ◽  
G De Lara ◽  
A Tamayo ◽  
L C Belarte ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Balance between embolic and bleeding risk is challenging in patients with cancer. There is a lack of specific recommendations for the use of antithrombotic therapy in oncologic patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) within patients with breast cancer. We also compared the embolic and bleeding risk, the preventive management and the incidence of events between patients with and without cancer. Methods It is an ambispective observational multicentric study that analysed patients with non-valvular AF treated in Oncology and Cardiology Departments in Spain in the period 2011–2018. A total of 1237 female patients with AF were enrolled: 637 with breast cancer and 599 without cancer. The incidence of thromboembolic and major bleeding events according to the antithrombotic strategy with VKAs or DOACs was evaluated in the cohort of 637 patients with cancer. Analysis were conducted using SPSS software V.22.0 and R V.3.5.1, with a two-tailed significance value of 0.05. Results Mean follow-up was 3.1 years. Both groups were similar in age, CHA2DS2-VASc and HASB-LED scores. There was no evidence that the incidence of ischemic stroke/systemic embolism differed between patients with cancer treated with AVK and DOAC after CHA2DS2-VASc adjustment: HR 0.91 (95% CI, 0.42–1.99). In addition, no significant differences in the incidence of major bleeding events were found between DOACs and VKA after adjustment for HAS-BLED score: HR 1.53 (95% CI, 0.93–2.53) (Figure 3). Gastrointestinal bleeding was the main source of haemorrhages in both groups (45% of bleedings among patients treated with DOACs and, 37% in VKAs group). Metastatic disease or active chemotherapy were studied as potential covariates but none of them posed any relevant change in the result. Kaplan-Meier analysis Conclusions Cancer patients treated with DOACs did not differ versus those treated with VKAs with regards to stroke or systemic embolism in a model adjusted for CHA2DS2-VASc. Neither significant differences were found for bleeding events in a model adjusted for baseline HASBLED.


RMD Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e001678
Author(s):  
Nazariy Koval ◽  
Mariana Alves ◽  
Rui Plácido ◽  
Ana G Almeida ◽  
João Eurico Fonseca ◽  
...  

BackgroundDespite vitamin K antagonists (VKA) being the gold standard in the prevention of thromboembolic events in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), non-vitamin K antagonists oral anticoagulants/direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been used off-label.ObjectiveWe aimed to perform a systematic review comparing DOACs to VKA regarding prevention of thromboembolic events, occurrence of bleeding events and mortality in patients with APS.MethodsAn electronic database search was performed through MEDLINE, CENTRAL and Web of Science. After data extraction, we pooled the results using risk ratio (RR) and 95% CI. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I². The outcomes considered were all thromboembolic events as primary, and major bleeding, all bleeding events and mortality as secondary. Evidence confidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology.ResultsWe included 7 studies and a total of 835 patients for analyses. Thromboembolic events were significantly increased in DOACs arm, compared with VKA—RR 1.69, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.62, I²—24%, n=719, 6 studies. In studies using exclusively rivaroxaban, which was the most representative drug in all included studies, the thromboembolic risk was increased threefold (RR 3.36, 95% CI 1.53 to 7.37). The risks of major bleeding, all bleeding events and mortality were not significantly different from control arm. The grade of certainty of our results is very low.ConclusionsCurrent evidence suggests DOACs use, particularly rivaroxaban, among patients with APS, is less effective than VKA since it is associated with 69% increased risk of thromboembolic events.Trial registration numberCRD42020216178.


Lupus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Malec ◽  
E Broniatowska ◽  
A Undas

Objectives Despite controversies, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). We investigated the safety and efficacy of DOACs versus vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in real-life consecutive APS patients. Patients and methods In a cohort study of 176 APS patients, which included 82 subjects who preferred DOACs or had unstable anticoagulation with VKAs, we recorded venous thromboembolism (VTE), cerebrovascular ischemic events or myocardial infarction, along with major bleeding or clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB). Results APS patients were followed for a median time of 51 (interquartile range 43–63) months. Patients on DOACs and those on VKAs were similar with regard to baseline characteristics. APS patients treated with DOACs had increased risk of recurrent thromboembolic events and recurrent VTE alone compared with those on VKAs (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.54–10.28, p = 0.004 and HR = 3.69, 95% CI: 1.27–10.68, p = 0.016, respectively) with no differences between rivaroxaban and apixaban or single- or double-positive and triple-positive APS. Thromboembolism on DOACs was associated with older age (median 52 versus 42 years, p = 0.008) and higher global APS score (median 13 versus 8.5, p = 0.013). Patients on DOACs had increased risk of major bleeding or CRNMB (HR = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.53–8.63, p = 0.003), but rates of gastrointestinal bleeds (HR = 3.36, 95% CI: 0.70–16.16, p = 0.13) and major bleeds or CRNMB other than heavy menstrual bleeding (HR = 2.45, 95% CI: 0.62–9.69, p = 0.2) were similar in both treatment groups. Conclusion During long-term follow-up of real-life APS patients, DOACs are less effective and less safe as VKAs in the prevention of thromboembolism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
T.F Chao ◽  
P Kirchhof ◽  
Y Koretsune ◽  
T Yamashita ◽  
M Unverdorben ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In AF patients on direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), safety and effectiveness vary with dose. This might impact treatment decisions. Purpose To investigate the effects of dosing of the DOAC edoxaban in AF patients on safety and effectiveness during 1-year observation in a real-world setting. Methods The Global ETNA-AF NIS included 26,823 patients. Baseline data by edoxaban dosing (60mg/30mg) and their influences on the safety (major bleeding [MB], clinically relevant non-major bleeding [CRNMB]), and effectiveness (stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction [MI], death) were investigated (Table). Results Figure shows the breakdown by dose (60mg vs 30mg) and recommended (rec) vs non-recommended (non-rec) dosing. Patients on non-rec 30mg vs on rec 60mg edoxaban were older (mean ± SD: 74±9 vs 70±9 y); had lower creatinine clearance (72.2±20.6 vs 85.8±26.8 mL/min); and had more comorbidities, history of MB (2.1% vs 1.1%), and strokes (11.0% vs 8.6%). Non-rec 60mg vs rec 30mg patients were younger (75±9 vs 78±9 y), had fewer comorbidities, history of MB (1.2% vs 2.6%), and strokes (10.2% vs 16.4%). In non-rec 30mg vs rec 60mg, MB was not lower and ischaemic events were not higher. In non-rec 60mg vs rec 30mg, no increase in MB, CRNMB or ischaemic events was seen. Conclusion Edoxaban was prescribed at the label recommended dose in the vast majority of patients. Non-rec 30mg patients were sicker than rec 60mg patients while non-rec 60mg patients were less sick than rec 30mg patients. Overall event rates were low, and ischaemic event rates of non-rec 30mg and bleeding event rates of non-rec 60mg were not numerically higher than that of corresponding rec dosing groups. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Private company. Main funding source(s): Daiichi Sankyo


Author(s):  
Myrthe M. A. Toorop ◽  
Nienke van Rein ◽  
Suzanne C. Cannegieter ◽  
Felix J. M. van der Meer ◽  
Pieter H. Reitsma ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Major bleeding occurs in 1 to 3% of patients treated with oral anticoagulants per year. Biomarkers may help to identify high-risk patients. A proposed marker for major bleeding while using anticoagulants is soluble thrombomodulin (sTM). Methods Plasma was available from 16,570 patients of the BLEEDS cohort that consisted of patients who started treatment with vitamin K antagonists between 2012 and 2014. A case–cohort study was performed including all patients with a major bleed (n = 326) during follow-up and a random sample of individuals selected at baseline (n = 652). Plasma sTM levels were measured and stratified by percentiles. Patients were also categorized by international normalized ratio (INR). Adjusted hazard ratios (for age, sex, hypertension, and diabetes) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by means of Cox regression. Results Plasma sTM levels were available for 263 patients with a major bleed and 538 control subjects. sTM levels were dose-dependently associated with risk of major bleeding, with a 1.9-fold increased risk (95% CI: 1.1–3.1) for levels above the 85th percentile versus the <25th percentile. A high INR (≥4) in the presence of high (≥70th percentile) sTM levels was associated with a 7.1-fold (95% CI: 4.1–12.3) increased risk of major bleeding, corresponding with a bleeding rate of 14.1 per 100 patient-years. Conclusion High sTM levels at the start of treatment are associated with major bleeding during vitamin K antagonist treatment, particularly in the presence of a high INR.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 290-299
Author(s):  
Katrin Krueger ◽  
Kathrin Jobski ◽  
Annemarie Voss ◽  
Ulrike Haug

Abstract Purpose of Review We investigated the risk profiles of patients using direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) or vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in European cohort studies to estimate the importance of potential (measured or unmeasured) confounding factors in analyses comparing these drugs. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE (2008–2018) for relevant studies and extracted information on age, sex, comorbidity, Charlson comorbidity index, HAS-BLED score (assessing risk of bleeding) and CHA2DS2-VASc score (assessing risk of stroke). Recent Findings Overall, 66 studies with 2,808,757 patients were included. Most patients were from France (37%), Denmark (24%) and Germany (23%). In 56 studies (85%), the focus was on patients with atrial fibrillation. Of the 43 studies comparing DOAC with VKA users, 33% reported a higher and 16% a lower age of DOAC compared with VKA users. The mean age varied by about 1 year in most of these studies. Rivaroxaban was used in the widest age range. Patients with DOAC more often had a history of stroke or bleedings, and patients with VKA more often had a history of diabetes, renal failure, cancer, heart failure or other heart diseases. Most studies did not observe differences regarding the HAS-BLED score or the CHA2DS2-VASc score between groups. Summary Our review suggests that there are relevant differences in the risk profiles of DOAC versus VKA users and between users of individual DOACs. Reported HAS-BLED or CHA2DS2-VASc scores did not reflect these differences. These patterns require careful consideration in the interpretation of observational studies comparing the effectiveness and the risks of these drugs, also when comparing the results of studies conducted in different countries.


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