Abstract
AimsThe aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in routine clinical practice.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used linked administrative data. The study population (n = 14 577) included patients with a diagnosis of AF (confirmed in hospital) who initiated DOAC treatment in Scotland between August 2011 and December 2015. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios of thromboembolic events, mortality and bleeding events.ResultsNo differences between the DOACs were observed with regard to the risk of stroke, systemic embolism or cardiovascular death. In contrast, the risk of myocardial infarction was higher among patients prescribed apixaban in comparison to those on rivaroxaban (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.02‐2.71), and all‐cause mortality was higher among rivaroxaban patients in contrast to both apixaban (1.22 [1.01–1.47]) and dabigatran (1.55 [1.16–2.05]) patients; rivaroxaban patients also had a higher risk of pulmonary embolism than apixaban patients (5.27 [1.79–15.53]). The risk of other major bleeds was higher among rivaroxaban patients compared to apixaban (1.50 [1.10–2.03]) and dabigatran (1.58 [1.01–2.48]) patients; the risks of gastrointestinal bleeds and overall bleeding were higher among rivaroxaban patients than among apixaban patients (1.48 [1.01–2.16] and 1.52 [1.21–1.92], respectively).ConclusionsAll DOACs were similarly effective in preventing strokes and systemic embolisms, while patients being treated with rivaroxaban exhibited the highest bleeding risks. Observed differences in the risks of all‐cause mortality, myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism warrant further research.
Highlights
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmic disorder among the elderly, and an independent risk factor for stroke – increasing it up to five-fold [1]
The risk of myocardial infarction was higher among patients prescribed apixaban in comparison to those on rivaroxaban (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.02-2.71), and all-cause mortality was higher among rivaroxaban patients in contrast to both apixaban (1.22 [1.01–1.47]) and dabigatran (1.55 [1.16–2.05]) patients; rivaroxaban patients had a higher risk of pulmonary embolism than apixaban patients (5.27 [1.79–15.53])
The risk of other major bleeds was higher among rivaroxaban patients compared to apixaban (1.50 [1.10–2.03]) and dabigatran (1.58 [1.01–2.48]) patients; the risks of gastrointestinal bleeds and overall bleeding were higher among rivaroxaban patients than among apixaban patients (1.48 [1.01–2.16] and 1.52 [1.21–1.92], respectively)
Summary
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmic disorder among the elderly, and an independent risk factor for stroke – increasing it up to five-fold [1]. VKA treatment has limitations: it can be inconvenient for patients as it requires constant monitoring; adherence to treatment is considered to be rather low [5]; and there are frequently cases, when patients are frail or very elderly, when treatment is not initiated despite the presence of multiple stroke risk factors [6, 7]. Clinical trials, comparing DOACs with warfarin, have proven their safety and efficacy [8,9,10,11]; they have been approved for stroke prevention in patients with AF, and are increasingly prescribed to patients in many countries, including Scotland
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