Abstract 12014: Modified HASBLED Bleeding Risk Score in Dialysis Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Murphy ◽  
William Maddox ◽  
Stan Nahman ◽  
Matthew Diamond ◽  
Robert Sorrentino ◽  
...  

Introduction: Hemodialysis patients (HD pts) with atrial fibrillation (AF) have increased risk of stroke. The HASBLED (Hypertension (HTN), Abnl Renal/Liver Function, Stroke, Bleeding Hx, Labile INR, Elderly, Drugs/Alcohol) risk score predicts bleeding in the general AF population. It is unknown whether the HASBLED score can be applied to HD pts who are at additional bleeding risk due to uremic platelet dysfunction and the regular use of heparin. Hypothesis: To address this question, we queried the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) for bleeding events in HD pts with AF, and correlated those events with a modified HASBLED (mHASBLED) score. Methods: All incident HD pts with AF from the USRDS for 2006-2010 were queried for major bleeding events and mHASBLED parameters using ICD-9 diagnosis codes and data from CMS form 2728. For mHASBLED, the HTN parameter was defined as "HTN as the cause of renal failure", and labile INR as > 16 INRs/yr, but all other parameters could be derived from the dataset. Logistic regression (LR) analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for the mHASBLED score to predict major bleeding events. Results: 74,631 HD pts had AF, and 9.8% had a major bleeding event (GI bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke). By univariate analysis, those who bled were more likely to be elderly, have an underlying cause of renal disease due to HTN, prior bleeding event, hepatitis C, labile INR, and be on oral anticoagulants. By LR, variables with the greatest impact on bleeding were HTN as a cause of underlying renal disease, prior bleeding history, and labile INR (OR of 1.10, 2.20 and 2.24, respectively). The OR for bleeding events increased by 1.28 for each unit increase in mHASBLED. Older age, prior stroke, abnormal renal or liver function, and drug use had the least effect. Note that the lowest possible score in this cohort is 1, given that all patients had renal failure. Conclusions: In HD pts with AF, the mHASBLED predicts major bleeding events. The universal presence of renal disease, and the lack of specific clinical data from the USRDS may limit the clinical precision of a given score, however mHASBLED may remain a useful indicator of bleeding risk in this population.

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Bergamaschi ◽  
A Stefanizzi ◽  
M Coriano ◽  
P Paolisso ◽  
I Magnani ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Several risk scores have been proposed to assess the bleeding risk in patients with Atrial Fibrillation. Purpose To compare the efficacy of HAS-BLED, ATRIA and ORBIT scores to predict major bleedings in newly diagnosed non-valvular AF (NV-AF) treated with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Methods We analyzed all consecutive patients with AF at our outpatient clinic from January to December 2017. Only those with new diagnosed NV-AF starting new anticoagulant therapy were enrolled. Major hemorrhagic events were defined according to the ISTH definition in non-surgical patients. Results Out of the 820 patients admitted with AF, 305 were newly diagnosed with NV-AF starting oral anticoagulation. Overall, 51.3% were male with a mean age of 72.6±13.7 years. Thirty-six patients (11.8%) started VKAs whereas 269 (88.2%) patients were treated with NOACs. The median follow-up time was 10.4±3.4 months. During follow-up, 123 (32.2%) bleeding events were recorded, 21 (17,1%) in the VKA group and 102 (82,9%) in the NOAC group. Eleven (2.9%) major bleeding events occurred: 5 (45.5%) in the VKA group and 6 (54.5%) in the NOAC group. Overall, patients with major hemorrhagic events showed a mean value of the scores significantly higher when compared to patients without such bleeding complications (HASBLED 3.4 vs 2.4 p=0.007; ATRIA 5.6 vs 2.4 p<0.001; ORBIT 3.6 vs 1.8 p<0,001). Conversely, when analyzing the VKA subgroup, only the ATRIA score was significantly higher in patients with major adverse events (7.4 vs 3.5 p<0.001; HAS-BLED: 4.4 vs 3.6 p=0.27; ORBIT 4.4 vs 2.9 p=0.13). An ATRIA score ≥4 identified patients at high risk of bleeding (29.4% vs. 0% events. respectively, p=0.04). In the NOAC group, patients with major bleeding events had higher mean values of ATRIA (4.0 vs 2.3 p=0.02) and ORBIT (2.8 vs 1.6 p=0,04) but not the HAS-BLED (2.5 vs 2.3 p=0.57) scores. Similarly, patients on NOACs with an ATRIA score ≥4 had higher rates of major bleedings (8.1% vs. 1.6% p=0,02). Comparing the single elements of the ATRIA score, only glomerular filtration rate <30 ml/min/1.73 mq was associated with major bleedings in the VKA group (p<0.001) whereas, in the NOAC group, anemia was strongly associated with bleeding events (p=0,02). In fact, multivariate analysis in the NOAC group showed that hemoglobin level at admission was an independent predictor for major bleeding events (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23–0.75, P=0.003). Conversely, in the VKA group, baseline creatinine level was an independent predictor for these events (OR 12.76, 95% CI 1.6–101.7, P=0.016). Conclusions The ATRIA score showed the best efficacy in predicting major bleeding events. Hemoglobin and creatinine levels at admission were independent predictors for major hemorrhagic events in the NOAC and in the VKA groups, respectively. The latter finding might be helpful in stratifying the hemorrhagic risk at the beginning of treatment.


Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 590-590
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Merz ◽  
Duaa AbdelHameid ◽  
Dareen M. Kanaan ◽  
Guohai Zhou ◽  
Peter M. Manzo ◽  
...  

Abstract Intro: Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a coagulopathy caused by deficiency or dysfunction of von Willebrand factor (VWF), resulting in prolonged and excessive bleeding. Patients are advised to avoid aspirin (ASA), P2Y12 inhibitors, or anticoagulation (AC) so as not to exacerbate this condition. However, typical treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) includes anticoagulation, particularly if the risk of stroke by CHA 2DS 2-VASC score is 2+. Current recommendations suggest giving necessary antiplatelet (AP) or AC therapy over no treatment with assessment of bleeding risk throughout the course. However, this is a conditional recommendation based on low certainty in evidence, and there are no specific guidelines on treating AF in patients with VWD. This study aims to assess anticoagulation use, bleeding risk, and stroke risk in patients with VWF and AF. Methods: We conducted an IRB-approved analysis of coded data from institutional electronic medical records to select patients with diagnosis of VWD, low ristocetin cofactor level, or any abnormal VWF panel as well as patients with diagnosis of AF or atrial flutter. Three hundred and forty patients met criteria. Patients were manually screened for inclusion criteria and excluded for inaccurate diagnosis or insufficient data. Eighty-nine patients were included in the analysis. Primary endpoint was rate of major bleeding defined by ISTH criteria while on AC or AP. Categorical data were tested using the Fisher exact test at the nominal 0.05 two-sided significance level, and all person-time comparisons are made against the rate of bleeding on AC alone. Results: Most patients were female (64.0%; 57/89), and 28.1% (25/89) were deceased at the time of data collection. Date of diagnosis of AF ranged from 1980-2020. 42.7% (38/89) of patients were ever prescribed ASA, 43.8% (39/89) a P2Y12 inhibitor, 56.2% (50/89) AC, and 23.6% (21/89) had never been prescribed AP or AC. Of patients with a CHA 2DS 2-VASC of 2+, 57.5% (46/80) were ever prescribed AC. 32.0% (16/50) of patients ever prescribed AC and 25.6% (10/39) patients never prescribed AC had at least one major bleeding event (p=0.428). The rate of major bleeding on AC alone was 8.9 events per 100 person-years (32 events/359.2 years), 10.2 events per 100 person-years on AP alone (41 events/402.3 years) (p=0.572), and 1.06 events per 100 person-years (8 events/757.47 years) in patients never prescribed AC or AP (p=&lt;0.0001). Notably, the rate of major bleeding on AC and AP together was 28.07 events per 100 person-years (23 events/81.94 years) (p=&lt;0.0001) occurring in 7 patients, 6 of whom also had a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Length of time to first major bleed is shown in Figure 1. 16.9% (15/89) of patients had thromboembolic strokes after diagnosis of AF, and 53.3% (8/15) of those strokes occurred when patients were not prescribed AC. Discussion: This retrospective observational study over 40 years characterizes AC and AP use in patients with VWD and AF. Only 57.5% of patients with CHA 2DS 2-VASC of 2+ received standard of care AC despite conditional recommendations to give necessary anticoagulation to patients with VWD. In parallel with the general population, AC use significantly increases the rate of major bleeding in patients with VWD, but there was no difference in bleeding rate between standard AC and AP monotherapy. However, major bleeding rates were notably elevated in patients prescribed concomitant AC and AP which most commonly occurred in the setting of ACS. This analysis is limited by its retrospective nature, the lack of granular details in the coded database, and incomplete data in older charts. Overall, these data do not support the use of AP monotherapy over standard AC to reduce bleeding rates for patients with VWD and AF. Additionally, AC and AP co-administration should be avoided due to high rates of major bleeding, but more studies are required to understand AP and AC strategies in patients with VWD, AF, and ACS. Although the rate of major bleeding is elevated with AC use in patients with VWD, there is no difference in lifetime prevalence of major bleeding events by AC vs no AC use. Finally, over half of thromboembolic strokes occurred when not prescribed AC. Shared decision-making around stroke and bleeding risk is advised in considering AC use for AF in patients with VWD. Prospective studies should further evaluate the risk of major bleeding and stroke in patients with VWD and AF on standard AC vs no AC. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e022478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miklos Rohla ◽  
Thomas W Weiss ◽  
Ladislav Pecen ◽  
Giuseppe Patti ◽  
Jolanta M Siller-Matula ◽  
...  

ObjectivesWe identified factors associated with thromboembolic and bleeding events in two contemporary cohorts of anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), treated with either vitamin K antagonists (VKA) or non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs).DesignProspective, multicentre observational study.Setting461 centres in seven European countries.Participants5310 patients receiving a VKA (PREvention oF thromboembolic events - European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation (PREFER in AF), derivation cohort) and 3156 patients receiving a NOAC (PREFER in AF Prolongation, validation cohort) for stroke prevention in AF.Outcome measuresRisk factors for thromboembolic events (ischaemic stroke, systemic embolism) and major bleeding (gastrointestinal bleeding, intracerebral haemorrhage and other life-threatening bleeding).ResultsThe mean age of patients enrolled in the PREFER in AF registry was 72±10 years, 40% were female and the mean CHA2DS2-VASc Score was 3.5±1.7. The incidence of thromboembolic and major bleeding events was 2.34% (95% CI 1.93% to 2.74%) and 2.84% (95% CI 2.41% to 3.33%) after 1-year of follow-up, respectively.Abnormal liver function, prior stroke or transient ischaemic attack, labile international normalised ratio (INR), concomitant therapy with antiplatelet or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heart failure and older age (≥75 years) were independently associated with both thromboembolic and major bleeding events.With the exception of unstable INR values, these risk factors were validated in patients treated with NOACs (PREFER in AF Prolongation Study, 72±9 years, 40% female, CHA2DS2-VASc 3.3±1.6). For each single point decrease on a modifiable bleeding risk scale we observed a 30% lower risk for major bleeding events (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.76, p<0.01) and a 28% lower rate of thromboembolic events (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.82, p<0.01).ConclusionAttending to modifiable risk factors is an important treatment target in anticoagulated AF patients to reduce thromboembolic and bleeding events. Initiation of anticoagulation in those at risk of stroke should not be prevented by elevated bleeding risk scores.


Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. heartjnl-2021-319702
Author(s):  
Ofra Barnett-Griness ◽  
Nili Stein ◽  
Antonio Kotler ◽  
Walid Saliba ◽  
Naomi Gronich

ObjectiveClinical models such as the HAS-BLED (standing for Hypertension, Abnormal liver/renal function, Stroke history, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile INR, Elderly, Drug/alcohol usage) were developed to predict risk of major bleeding on vitamin K antagonists/antiplatelet therapy. We aimed to develop a model that will improve the ability to predict major bleeding events in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with new oral anticoagulants (NOACs).MethodsClalit Health Services is the largest of four integrated healthcare organisations in Israel, which insures 4.7 million patients (53% of the population). We identified in Clalit Health Services all patients with AF, new users of an NOAC (2013–2017), and followed them until first occurrence of a major bleeding event, death, switch to another oral anticoagulant, 30 days after discontinuation of NOAC or end of follow-up (31 December 2019). Importance of the candidate model variables was estimated by inclusion frequencies across forward selection algorithm applied to 50 bootstrap samples. Then, backward selection algorithm using the modified Bayesian Information Criterion for competing risks was applied to select predictors for the final model.Results47 623 patients with AF prescribed NOAC were studied. 28 055 patients with AF, initiators of apixaban (mean age 78.7, SD 9.0), were included in the first phase and had 662 major bleeding events. Nine variables were selected for inclusion in a final points-based risk-scoring system: male sex, anaemia, thrombocytopaenia (<99×103/µL), concurrent antiplatelet therapy, hypertension, prior major bleeding, risk factors for a fall, low cholesterol level and low estimated glomerular filtration rate, with apparent area-under-curve (AUC) of 0.6546. Applicability of the model was then shown for 14 118 and 5450 patients with AF, initiators of dabigatran and rivaroxaban, where the score achieved c indices of 0.62 and 0.61, respectively.ConclusionsWe present a novel and simple risk score for prediction of major bleeding in patients with non-valvular AF treated with NOACs. Validation in additional cohorts is warranted.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 33-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey I. Weitz ◽  
Stuart J. Connolly ◽  
Satoshi Kunitada ◽  
James Jin ◽  
Indravadan Patel

Abstract Introduction : The primary objective of this phase II study was to assess the safety of different dose regimens of DU-176b, an oral direct factor Xa inhibitor, in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods : This was a randomized, parallel group, multicenter, multinational, double-blind DU-176b and open-label warfarin safety study in patients with AF (CHADS2 index ≥ 2). Patients were randomly assigned to receive either one of four fixed dose regimens of DU-176b (30 mg qd, 30 mg bid, 60 mg qd or 60 mg bid) or warfarin dose-adjusted to a target international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0–3.0. for 12 weeks. Investigators, sponsor and study subjects were blinded to DU-176b dose but not to the identity of DU-176b vs. warfarin. Investigators adjusted warfarin doses based on INR values obtained in local laboratories. The INR was determined weekly for 4 weeks and every two weeks thereafter. The primary outcomes were the occurrence of centrally adjudicated major and/or clinically relevant non-major bleeding event, and elevated liver enzymes and/or bilirubin. Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite of stroke, systemic embolism, acute myocardial infarction, hospitalizations due to cardiovascular condition or cardiovascular death, as well as all other adverse events, including all bleeding events. Results : A total of 1,146 patients were randomized. There were no clinically relevant differences between treatment groups with respect to the demographic data and baseline characteristics. Mean age was 65±8.7 years, 63.3% of patients had a CHADS2 index of 2 and 64.40% were warfarin naïve. The DU-176b 60 mg bid treatment arm was prematurely terminated during the study based on a recommendation by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC). A total of 180 patients were randomized to this group at the time. The incidence of major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding events was significantly higher in both the DU-176b 60 mg bid and 30 mg bid groups than in those given warfarin. The incidence of major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding events in the DU-176b 30 mg qd and 60 mg qd groups was similar to that in warfarin-treated patients. The time in therapeutic range (TTR) for warfarin-experienced patients was 50.1% and for warfarin naïve patients was 41.8%. There were no significant differences in the number (%) of subjects with persistently elevated ALT, AST, or bilirubin values across the treatment groups. The incidence of stroke was similar across treatment groups (Table). DU-176b 30 mg qd N=235 DU-176b 60 mg qd N=234 DU-176b 30 mg bid N=244 DU-176b 60 mg bid N=180 Warfarin qd N=250 Bleeding, n (%) (95% CI) Major+CR non-major 7 (3.0) (1.2–6.0) 11 (4.7) (2.4–8.3) 19 (7.8) (4.8–11.9)a 19 (10.6) (6.5–16.0)b 8 (3.2) (1.4–6.2) Major 0 (0) (0–1.6) 1 (0.4) (0–2.4) 5 (2.0) (0.7–4.7) 6 (3.3) (1.2–7.1)a 1 (0.4) (0–2.2) All 13 (5.5) (3.0–9.3) 19 (8.1) (5.0–12.4) 32 (13.1) (9.1–18.0) 33 (18.3) (13.0–24.8)b 20 (8.0) (5.0–12.1) Stroke, n (%) (95% CI) 1 (0.4) (0–2.3) 1 (0.4) (0–2.4) 2 (0.8) (0.1–2.9) 2 (1.1) (0.1–4.0) 4 (1.6) (0.4–4.0) Conclusions : DU-176b 30 mg qd and 60 mg qd dose regimens had a safety profile similar to warfarin in patients with AF. Patients treated with the DU-176b 30 mg bid or 60 mg bid regimens had more bleeding events than occurred with warfarin. These results suggest that the DU-176b 30 mg qd or 60 mg qd regimens are safe and well tolerated. A Phase III trial is needed to determine whether DU-176b will provide a suitable replacement for warfarin in AF patients. CR, clinically relevant. aP&lt;0.05, bP=0.002 to warfarin.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (18) ◽  
pp. 4327-4332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson M. Pishko ◽  
Robert K. Andrews ◽  
Elizabeth E. Gardiner ◽  
Daniel S. Lefler ◽  
Adam Cuker

Abstract We have shown that patients with suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) have a high incidence of major bleeding. Recent studies have implicated elevated soluble glycoprotein VI (sGPVI) levels as a potential risk factor for bleeding. We sought to determine if elevated sGPVI plasma levels are associated with major bleeding events in patients with suspected HIT. We used a cohort of 310 hospitalized adult patients with suspected HIT who had a blood sample collected at the time HIT was suspected. Plasma sGPVI levels were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients were excluded who had received a platelet transfusion within 1 day of sample collection because of the high levels of sGPVI in platelet concentrates. We assessed the association of sGPVI (high vs low) with International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis major bleeding events by multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for other known risk factors for bleeding. Fifty-four patients were excluded due to recent platelet transfusion, leaving 256 patients for analysis. Eighty-nine (34.8%) patients had a major bleeding event. Median sGPVI levels were significantly elevated in patients with major bleeding events compared with those without major bleeding events (49.09 vs 31.93 ng/mL; P &lt; .001). An sGPVI level &gt;43 ng/mL was independently associated with major bleeding after adjustment for critical illness, sepsis, cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and degree of thrombocytopenia (adjusted odds ratio, 2.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-5.23). Our findings suggest that sGPVI is associated with major bleeding in hospitalized patients with suspected HIT. sGPVI may be a novel biomarker to predict bleeding risk in patients with suspected HIT.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Tsuchida ◽  
K Tanaka ◽  
K Nakano ◽  
R Akagawa ◽  
N Oyanagi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background/Introduction In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation, oral anticoagulation (OAC) plus dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) increases the risk of bleeding. The PRECISE-DAPT (P-DAPT) and DAPT scores were created to predict increased bleeding versus ischemic risk in patients undergoing DAPT. However, not much information is available on predicting bleeding risk associated with OAC concomitant with DAPT in patients with AF treated with coronary stents. Physical frailty or sarcopenia is considered an emerging predictor for bleeding in AF patients. Purpose To investigate the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and major bleeding risk in AF patients undergoing PCI and subsequent OAC and DAPT. Methods A total of 1,234 consecutive patients after PCI using newer-generation drug eluting stents were evaluated. An anti-thrombotic regimen without OAC was given to 1,077 patients, whereas OAC was required in 157 patients (12.7%) including AF (n = 96). The P-DAPT, DAPT, and HAS-BLED scores were calculated for each of the patients. Any out-of-hospital major bleeding events were identified based on BARC criteria during a median follow-up of 2.9 years. The fat-free mass index (FFMI; kg/m2) was calculated to evaluate skeletal muscle mass as follows: (7.38 + 0.02908 × urinary creatinine (mg/day)) / (height squared (m2)). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to test the significance of the FFMI and these risk scores as predictors of major bleeding, defined as BARC 3 or 5 events in AF patients. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were used to examine the predictive ability of the FFMI and these scores to identify patients with major bleeding events. Results Major bleeding events were observed in 9 (9.3%) patients. Major bleeding was associated with a lower FFMI (hazard ratio [HR] 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36-0.79; p = 0.002), and higher P-DAPT score (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.11; p = 0.003), but not with the DAPT (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.45-1.12; p = 0.147) and the HAS-BLED score (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.48-2.09; p = 0.990). In the non-OAC cohort, major bleeding was related to a higher P-DAPT score (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07; p &lt; 0.0001), but the FFMI (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.73-1.09; p = 0.265) and the DAPT score were not correlated. C-statistics for major bleeding events were 0.82 (95% CI, 0.71-0.93, p = 0.001) for the FFMI and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.68-0.90, p = 0.004) for the P-DAPT score. Conclusions Assessment of the FFMI for screening sarcopenia is useful to predict major bleedings specifically in patients with AF undergoing coronary stenting. Both the FFMI and P-DAPT could successfully predict major bleedings in AF patients after PCI. Whether novel bleeding risk scores combined with measuring body composition adequately identify high risk patients needs to be validated.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semira Abdi Beshir ◽  
Lok Bin Yap ◽  
Szyuin Sim ◽  
Kok Han Chee ◽  
Yoke Lin Lo

Purpose: To assess the predicted rate and the factors associated with bleeding events among patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) receiving dabigatran therapy. Methods: This retrospective cohort study includes adult patients of two tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. Potential study subjects were identified using pharmacy supply database or novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) registry. Demographics, clinical data and laboratory test results were extracted from the medical records of the patients or electronic databases. The main outcome measure is the occurrence of a bleeding event. Bleeding events were classified into major bleeding, clinically relevant non-major bleeding, or minor bleeding, according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis criteria. We consider clinically relevant non-major bleeding events or major bleeding events as clinically relevant bleeding events. An occurrence of any bleeding event was recorded from the initiation of NOAC therapy until the death of a patient, or the date of permanent discontinuation of NOAC use, or the last day of data collection. The predicted rate of dabigatran-induced bleeding events per 100 patient-years was estimated. Results: During a median follow-up period of 18 months, 73 patients experienced 90 bleeding events. Among these patients, 25 including 4 fatal cases, experienced major bleeding events. The predicted rate per 100 patient-years of follow-up of any bleeding events was 9.0 [95% CI 6.9 to 11.1]; clinically relevant bleeding events 6.0 [95% CI 4.8 to 8.3], and major bleeding events 3.0 [95% CI 1.9 to 4.2]. The independent risk factor for clinically relevant bleeding events is prior bleeding. While prior bleeding or congestive heart failure is linked with major bleeding events. Conclusions: The predicted rate for dabigatran-induced major bleeding episodes is low but these adverse events carry a high fatality risk. Preventive measures should target older patients who have prior bleeding or congestive heart failure. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see “For Readers”) may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue’s contents page.


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