Thromboembolic, Bleeding, and Mortality  Risks of Rivaroxaban and Dabigatran in Asians With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation

BackgroundIt is unclear whether the non –vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant agents rivaroxaban and dabigatran are superior to warfarin for efficacy and safety outcomes in Asians with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare the risk for thromboembolic events, bleeding, and mortality associated with rivaroxaban and dabigatran versus warfarin in Asians with NVAF.MethodsA nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted of consecutive patients with NVAF taking rivaroxaban (n  = 3,916), dabigatran (n = 5,921), or warfarin (n = 5,251) using data collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between February 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. The propensity score weighting method was used to balance covariates across study groups. Patients were follo wed until the first occurrence of any study outcome or the study end date (December 31, 2013).ResultsA total of 3,425 (87%) and 5,301 (90%) patients were taking low-dose rivaroxaban (10 to 15 mg once daily) and dabigatran (110 mg twice daily), respectively. Compared with warfarin, both rivaroxaban and dabigatran significantly decreased the risk for ischemic stroke or systemic embolism (p  = 0.0004 and p = 0.0006, respectively), intracranial hemorrhage (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.0005, respectively), and all-cause mortality (p 
Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research