Concomitant use of antiplatelet therapy with dabigatran or warfarin in the randomised evaluation of long-term anticoagulation therapy (RE-LY®) trial: subgroup analysis

Source: Circulation Area: News RE-LY showed that dabigatran etexilate 150 mg bid (DE150) was superior, and 110 mg bid (DE110) non-inferior to warfarin in preventing stroke and systemic embolism (SSE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). A common clinical dilemma regarding treatment of patients with AF is the need to use concomitant antiplatelets for a variety of reasons. While the combination of OAC and antiplatelets carry the potential of additive benefits, they also carry the danger of increased risk of bleeding.   With the emergence of dabigatran, questions on its efficacy and safety in patients receiving concomitant antiplatelet agents will also arise. This sub-group analysis was therefore undertaken to determine the efficacy and safety of 2 doses of dabigatran etexilate vs. warfarin in patients who did and did not receive concomitant antiplatelets. In the study, 6952 of 18,113 patients (38.4%) received concomitant aspirin or clopidogrel at some time during the study.   The ...
Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Source Type: news