Effects of Direct Oral Anticoagulants ’ Nonrecommended Dose in Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-Analysis

Background: The efficacy and safety profiles of nonrecommended direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) doses in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) are still undefined.Summary: We searched for randomized controlled trials and observational studies that compared nonrecommended versus recommended doses of DOACs, published up to December 2021. Primary study outcomes were ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack/systemic embolism (IS/TIA/SE) and major bleeding (MB). All-cause mortality was a secondary outcome. We determined pooled odds ratios (ORs) between groups of patients with a random-effect model. Twenty-three studies with 175,801 patients were included. Nonrecommended doses were associated with a higher risk of IS/TIA/SE and all-cause mortality, but not of MB as compared to recommended doses of DOACs (OR 1.25 [95% CI: 1.14 –1.38], OR 1.69 [95% CI: 1.31–2.18] and OR 1.10 [95% CI: 0.93–1.31], respectively). The nonrecommended low dose was associated with an increased risk of IS/TIA/SE and all-cause death (OR 1.21 [95% CI: 1.05–1.39] and OR 1.66 [95% CI: 1.18–2.35], respectively) but not of MB (OR 1.01 [95% CI: 0.83–1.22] as compared to recommended doses. Subgroup analysis of nonrecommended low doses of DOACs showed a nonsignificant increase in IS/TIA/SE in Asians (OR 1.17 [95% CI: 0.89–1.54] vs. non-Asian (OR 1.21 [95% CI: 1.07–1.36]).Key Messages: Compared with recommended doses, nonrecommended low doses of DOACs increase the risk of ischemic event...
Source: European Neurology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research