Effectiveness and safety of direct oral anticoagulants versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation and advanced kidney disease.

Background: The effectiveness and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and advanced kidney disease (AKD) has not been fully established.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness and safety related to pooled or specific DOACs to that with warfarin in patients with AF and AKD.

Methods: Patients with AF and AKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min) who received DOAC or warfarin from July 2011 to December 2020 were retrospectively identified in a medical center in Taiwan. Primary outcomes were hospitalized for stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding. Secondary outcomes included any ischemia and any bleeding.

Results: A total of 1,011 patients were recruited, of whom 809 (80.0%) were in the DOACs group (15.3% dabigatran, 25.4% rivaroxaban, 25.2% apixaban, and 14.1% edoxaban), and 202 (20.0%) in the warfarin group. DOACs had considerably lower risks of stroke/systemic embolism (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.29; 95% CI, 0.09-0.97) and any ischemia (aHR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.22-0.79), but had comparable risks of major bleeding (aHR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.34-2.92) and any bleeding (aHR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.50-1.09) than warfarin. Apixaban was linked to considerably lower risks of any ischemia (aHR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.04-0.48) and any bleeding (aHR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.28-0.99) than warfarin.

Conclusion: Among patients with AF and AKD, DOACs were linked to a lower risk of ischemic events, and apixaban was linked to a lower risk of any ischemia and any bleeding than warfarin.