scholarly journals Discontinuation of oral anticoagulation therapy after successful atrial fibrillation ablation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253709
Author(s):  
Xue-Hui Liu ◽  
Qiang Xu ◽  
Tao Luo ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Hong-Jun Liu

Background The safety of discontinuing oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation remains controversial. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the safety and feasibility of discontinuing OAC therapy after successful AF ablation. Methods PubMed and Embase were searched up to October 2020 for prospective cohort studies that reported the risk of thromboembolism (TE) after successful AF ablation in off-OAC and on-OAC groups. The primary outcome was the incidence of TE events. The Mantel-Haenszel method with random-effects modeling was used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results A total of 11,148 patients (7,160 in the off-OAC group and 3,988 in the on-OAC group) from 10 studies were included to meta-analysis. No significant difference in TE between both groups was observed (OR, 0.73; 95%CI, 0.51–1.05; I2 = 0.0%). The risk of major bleeding in off-OAC group was significantly lower compared to the on-OAC group (OR, 0.18; 95%CI, 0.07–0.51; I2 = 51.7%). Conclusions Our study suggests that it may be safe to discontinue OAC therapy in patients after successful AF ablation. Additionally, an increased risk of major bleeding was observed in patients on OAC. However, the results of this meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution because of the heterogeneity among the included study designs. Large-scale and adequately powered randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm these findings.

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin L Campbell ◽  
John Larson ◽  
Talha Farid ◽  
Stacy Westerman ◽  
Michael S Lloyd ◽  
...  

Introduction: Women undergoing atrial fibrillation catheter ablation (AFCA) have higher rates of vascular complications and major bleeding. However, studies have been underpowered to detect differences in rare complications such as stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and procedural mortality. Methods: We performed a systematic review of databases (PubMed, World of Science, Embase) to identify studies published since 2010 reporting AFCA complications by gender. Six complications of interest were: 1) vascular/groin complications; 2) pericardial effusion/tamponade; 3) stroke/TIA; 4) permanent phrenic nerve injury; 5) major bleeding & 6) procedural mortality. For meta-analysis, random effects models were used when heterogeneity between studies was ≥ 50% (vascular complications, major bleeding) and fixed effects models for other endpoints. Results: Of 5716 citations, 19 studies met inclusion criteria, comprising 244,353 patients undergoing AFCA, of whom 33% were women. Women were older (65.3 ± 11.2 vs. 60.4 ± 13.2 years), more likely hypertensive (60.6 vs. 55.5%) and diabetic (18.3 vs. 16.5%) and had higher CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores (3.0 ± 1.8 vs. 1.4 ± 1.4) (p<0.0001 for all comparisons). The rates of all 6 complications were significantly higher in women (Table). However, despite statistically significant differences, the overall incidences of major complications were very low in both genders: stroke/TIA (women 0.51 vs. men 0.39%) and procedural mortality (women 0.25 vs. men 0.18%). Conclusion: Women experience significantly higher rates of AFCA complications. However, the incidence of major procedural complications is very low in both genders. The higher rate of complications in women may be partially attributable to older age and a higher prevalence of comorbidities at the time of ablation. More detailed studies are needed to better define the mechanisms of increased risk in women and to identify strategies for closing the gender gap.


Heart ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (18) ◽  
pp. 1432-1436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaqib H Malik ◽  
Srikanth Yandrapalli ◽  
Wilbert S Aronow ◽  
Julio A Panza ◽  
Howard A Cooper

ObjectiveCurrent guidelines endorse the use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, little is known about their safety and efficacy in valvular heart disease (VHD). Similarly, there is a paucity of data regarding NOACs use in patients with a bioprosthetic heart valve (BPHV). We, therefore, performed a network meta-analysis in the subgroups of VHD and meta-analysis in patients with a BPHV.MethodsPubMed, Cochrane and Embase were searched for randomised controlled trials. Summary effects were estimated by the random-effects model. The outcomes of interest were a stroke or systemic embolisation (SSE), myocardial infarction (MI), all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac events, major bleeding and intracranial haemorrhage (ICH).ResultsIn patients with VHD, rivaroxaban was associated with more ICH and major bleeding than other NOACs, while edoxaban 30 mg was associated with least major bleeding. Data combining all NOACs showed a significant reduction in SSE, MI and ICH (0.70, [0.57 to 0.85; p<0.001]; 0.70 [0.50 to 0.99; p<0.002]; and 0.46 [0.24 to 0.86; p<0.01], respectively). Analysis of 280 patients with AF and a BPHV showed similar outcomes with NOACs and warfarin.ConclusionsNOACs performed better than warfarin for a reduction in SSE, MI and ICH in patients with VHD. Individually NOACs performed similarly to each other except for an increased risk of ICH and major bleeding with rivaroxaban and a reduced risk of major bleeding with edoxaban 30 mg. In patients with a BPHV, results with NOACs seem similar to those with warfarin and this needs to be further explored in larger studies.


EP Europace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Al Bahhawi ◽  
A Aqeeli ◽  
S L Harrison ◽  
D A Lane ◽  
I Buchan ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Pregnancy-related complications have been previously associated with incident cardiovascular disease. However, data are scarce on the association between pregnancy-related complications and incident atrial fibrillation (AF). This systematic review examines associations between pregnancy-related complications and incident AF. Methods A systematic search of the literature utilising MEDLINE and EMBASE (Ovid) was conducted from 1990 to 6 April 2020. Observational studies examining the association between pregnancy-related complications including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), gestational diabetes, placental abruption, preterm birth, low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age and stillbirth, and incidence of AF were included. Screening and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. Inverse-variance random-effects models were used to pool hazard ratios. Results: Six observational studies met the inclusion criteria one case-control study and five retrospective cohort studies, with four studies eligible for meta-analysis.  Sample sizes ranged from 1,839-1,303,365. Mean/median follow-up for the cohort studies ranged from 7-36 years. Most studies reported an increased risk of incident AF associated with pregnancy-related complications. The pooled summary statistic from four studies reflected a greater risk of incident AF for HDP (hazard ratio (HR) 1.47, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.18-1.84; I2 = 84%) and from three studies for pre-eclampsia (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.41-2.06; I2 = 64%; Figure). Conclusions The results of this review suggest that pregnancy-related complications particularly pre-eclampsia appear to be associated with higher risk of incident AF. The small number of included studies and the significant heterogeneity in the pooled results suggest further large-scale prospective studies are required to confirm the association between pregnancy-related complications and AF. Abstract Figure.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Yang ◽  
Zixin Cai ◽  
Jingjing Zhang

Background and ObjectiveRecently, insulin treatment has been found to be associated with increased mortality and other adverse outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and diabetes, but the results remain unclear and controversial, therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis.MethodsFour databases, namely, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library, were used to identify all studies concerning insulin treatment and the adverse effects of COVID-19, including mortality, incidence of severe/critical complications, in-hospital admission and hospitalization time. To assess publication bias, funnel plots, Begg’s tests and Egger’s tests were used. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to access the effect of insulin therapy on mortality, severe/critical complications and in-hospital admission. The association between insulin treatment and hospitalization time was calculated by the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CIs.ResultsEighteen articles, involving a total of 12277 patients with COVID-19 and diabetes were included. Insulin treatment was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality (OR=2.10; 95% CI, 1.51-2.93) and incidence of severe/critical COVID-19 complications (OR=2.56; 95% CI, 1.18-5.55). Moreover, insulin therapy may increase in-hospital admission in patients with COVID-19 and diabetes (OR=1.31; 95% CI, 1.06-1.61). However, there was no significant difference in the hospitalization time according to insulin treatment (SMD=0.21 95% CI, -0.02-0.45).ConclusionsInsulin treatment may increase mortality and severe/critical complications in patients with COVID-19 and diabetes, but more large-scale studies are needed to confirm and explore the exact mechanism.


Open Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e001471
Author(s):  
Tymon Pol ◽  
Ziad Hijazi ◽  
Johan Lindbäck ◽  
John H Alexander ◽  
M Cecilia Bahit ◽  
...  

ObjectivesGrowth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a biomarker independently associated with bleeding and death in anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). GDF-15 is also used as one component in the more precise biomarker-based ABC (age, biomarkers, clinical history)-AF-bleeding and ABC-AF-death risk scores. Data from large trials indicate a geographic variability in regard to overall outcomes, including bleeding and mortality risk. Our aim was to assess the consistency of the association between GDF-15, ABC-AF-bleeding score and ABC-AF-death score, with major bleeding and death, across world geographic regions.MethodsData were available from 14 767 patients with AF from the Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE) trial and 8651 patients with AF from the Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy (RE-LY) trial in this cohort study. GDF-15 was analysed from plasma samples obtained at randomisation. The geographical consistency of the associations between outcomes and GDF-15, ABC-AF-bleeding score and ABC-AF-death scores were assessed by Cox-regression models including interactions with predefined geographical region.ResultsGDF-15 and the ABC-AF-bleeding score were associated with major bleeding in both trials across regions (p<0.0001). Similarly, GDF-15 and the ABC-AF-death score were associated with all-cause mortality in both trials across regions (p<0.0001). Overall, the association between GDF-15, the ABC-AF-bleeding score and ABC-AF-death risk score with major bleeding and death was consistent across regions in both ARISTOTLE and the RE-LY trial cohorts. The ABC-AF-bleeding and ABC-AF-death risk scores were consistent regarding discriminative ability when comparing geographic regions in both trial cohorts. The C-indices ranged from 0.649 to 0.760 for the ABC-AF-bleeding and from 0.677 to 0.806 for the ABC-AF-death score by different geographic regions.ConclusionsIn patients with AF on anticoagulation, GDF-15 and the biomarker-based ABC-AF-bleeding and ABC-AF-death risk scores are consistently associated with respectively increased risk of major bleeding and death and have similar prognostic value across world geographic regions.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov Registry NCT00412984 and NCT00262600.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (12) ◽  
pp. 772-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Caron ◽  
Darryl P. Leong ◽  
Christopher Hillis ◽  
Graeme Fraser ◽  
Deborah Siegal

Abstract Ibrutinib therapy was associated with an increased risk of bleeding in previous trials. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of published trials including patients treated with ibrutinib, the relative risk (95% confidence interval [CI]) of overall bleeding was significantly higher in ibrutinib recipients (2.72 [1.62-6.58]), but major bleeding did not show a significant difference (1.66 [0.96-2.85]). The incidences (95% CI) of major bleeding and any bleeding were 3.0 (2.3-3.7) and 20.8 (19.1-22.1) per 100 patient-years, respectively. This analysis is limited by reporting bias from variable ascertainment of bleeding and lack of allocation concealment in some studies and differing exposures between groups, leading to potential overestimation of event rates in the ibrutinib group.


EP Europace ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1509-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaocheng Cheng ◽  
Qiongwen Hu ◽  
Lei Gao ◽  
Jian Liu ◽  
Shu Qin ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims The sex-related differences in the clinical outcomes of rhythm and safety after catheter ablation remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in women and men. Methods and results The Medline and EMBASE databases were searched for published articles up to December 2018. Studies that met our predefined inclusion criteria were included. The primary endpoints were freedom from AF/atrial tachycardia (AT) recurrence, stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA), and all-cause mortality. After literature search and detailed assessment, 19 observational studies (151 370 patients; 34% women) were identified. Our analyses showed that the rate of freedom from AF/AT recurrence was lower in women than men at the 2.4-year follow-up [odds ratio (OR): 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–0.81; P < 0.0001]. Moreover, women had an increased risk of stroke/TIA (OR: 1.42, 95% CI 1.21–1.67; P < 0.0001) and all-cause mortality (OR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.02–2.28; P = 0.04). Nevertheless, for the endpoint of all-cause mortality, there was no significant difference between the two genders in the subgroup of prospective studies (OR: 1.19, 95% CI 0.69–2.05; P = 0.53). Additionally, women were more likely to experience major complications compared with men (pericardial effusion/tamponade, major bleeding requiring transfusion, and pacemaker implantation). Conclusions Women who underwent catheter ablation of AF might experience lower efficacy and a higher risk of stroke/TIA and major complications than men. The reasons for these sex-related differences need to be further studied.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 609-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abushouk ◽  
Aya Ashraf Ali ◽  
Ahmed Abdou Mohamed ◽  
Loalo'a El-Sherif ◽  
Mennat-Allah Abdelsamed ◽  
...  

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common, sustained tachyarrhythmia, associated with an increased risk of mortality and thromboembolic events. We performed this meta-analysis to compare the clinical efficacy of rate and rhythm control strategies in patients with AF in a meta-analysis framework. A comprehensive search of PubMed, OVID, Cochrane-CENTRAL, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted, using relevant keywords. Dichotomous data on mortality and other clinical events were extracted and pooled as risk ratios (RRs), with their 95% confidence-interval (CI), using RevMan software (version 5.3). Twelve studies (8451 patients) were pooled in the final analysis. The overall effect-estimate did not favor rate or rhythm control strategies in terms of all-cause mortality (RR= 1.13, 95% CI [0.88, 1.45]), stroke (RR= 0.97, 95% CI [0.79, 1.20]), thromboembolism (RR= 1.06, 95% CI [0.64, 1.76]), and major bleeding (RR= 1.10, 95% CI [0.90, 1.35]) rates. These findings were consistent in AF patients with concomitant heart failure (HF). The rate of rehospitalization was significantly higher (RR= 0.72, 95% CI [0.57, 0.92]) in the rhythm control group, compared to the rate control group. In younger patients (<65 years), rhythm control was superior to rate control in terms of lowering the risk of all-cause mortality (p=0.0003), HF (p=0.003) and major bleeding (p=0.02). In older AF patients and those with concomitant HF, both rate and rhythm control strategies have similar rates of mortality and major clinical outcomes; therefore, choosing an appropriate strategy should consider individual variations, such as patient preferences, comorbidities, and treatment cost.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan-Nan Shen ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Ying Hang ◽  
Zheng Li ◽  
Ling-Cong Kong ◽  
...  

Background: The use of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) off-label doses in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients may result in poor clinical outcomes. However, the true prevalence remains scarce. This study aims at estimating the prevalence of DOAC off-label doses in AF patients.Methods: Databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE were searched from inception through February 2020 for real-world studies that reported the off-label definition and prevalence data of AF patients using DOACs. The primacy outcomes were the overall prevalence of DOAC off-label doses and the corresponding underdose and overdose. The random-effects model was used for data synthesis. Variations on individual DOAC and different regions were examined by subgroup analyses.Results: A total of 23 studies involving 162,474 AF patients were finally included. The overall prevalence of DOAC off-label doses was 24% (95% CI, 19–28%), with 18% for dabigatran, 27% for rivaroxaban, 24% for apixaban, and 26% for edoxaban. The prevalence of underdosed DOACs was 20% (95% CI, 16–24%) with significant difference among individual anticoagulants (13% for dabigatran, 22% for rivaroxaban, 22% for apixaban, and 18% for edoxaban; Pinteraction=0.02). The prevalence of overdosed DOACs was 5% (95% CI, 3–7%), with the lowest prevalence observed in apixaban (2%). Subgroup analyses by regions demonstrated that the prevalence of DOAC off-label doses was higher in Asia (32%) than in North America (14%) and in Europe (22%), with underdose being predominant. Regardless of different regions, the prevalence of overdose was relatively low (4–6%).Conclusion: This study provides an estimation of DOAC off-label doses in the real-world setting. The prevalence rate of DOAC off-label doses in AF patients was relatively high, with underdose being predominant. Clinicians in Asia preferred to prescribe underdose of DOACs to AF patients. More evidence about the appropriateness of DOAC off-label doses in AF patients is urgently needed. Education programs concerning the appropriate prescription of DOACs within the drug labels and accepted guidelines are necessary to DOAC prescribers to ensure the safety and effectiveness of anticoagulation therapy for patients with AF.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3073
Author(s):  
Máté Ottóffy ◽  
Péter Mátrai ◽  
Nelli Farkas ◽  
Péter Hegyi ◽  
László Czopf ◽  
...  

Adequate anticoagulation during catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is crucial for the prevention of both thromboembolic events and life-threatening bleeding. The purpose of this updated meta-analysis is to compare the safety and efficacy of uninterrupted and minimally interrupted periprocedural direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) protocols and uninterrupted vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy in patients undergoing CA for AF based on the latest evidence. Randomized controlled trials, prospective observational studies, and retrospective registries comparing DOACs to VKAs were identified in multiple databases (Embase, MEDLINE via PubMed, CENTRAL, and Scopus). The primary outcomes were stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), major bleeding, and net clinical benefit. Forty-two studies with a total of 22,715 patients were included in the final analysis. The occurrence of major bleeding was significantly lower in patients assigned to uninterrupted DOAC treatment compared to VKAs (pooled odds ratio (POR): 0.71, confidence interval (CI): 0.51–0.99). The pooled analysis of both uninterrupted and minimally interrupted DOAC groups also showed significant reduction in major bleeding events (POR: 0.70, CI: 0.53–0.93). The incidence of thromboembolic events was low, with no significant difference between groups. This updated meta-analysis showed that DOAC therapy is as effective as VKA in preventing stroke and TIA. Minimally interrupted DOAC therapy is a non-inferior periprocedural anticoagulation strategy; however, uninterrupted DOAC therapy showed superiority compared to VKA with regard to major, life-threatening bleeding. Based on our in-depth analysis, we conclude that both DOAC strategies are equally safe and preferable alternatives to VKAs in patients undergoing CA for AF.


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