Dosis baja de apixabán en pacientes con implante transcatéter de prótesis valvular aórtica y fibrilación auricular

Introduction and objectives: A significant amount of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have an indication for oral anticoagulation due to atrial fibrillation. In these patients the bleeding risk is often high. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of patients treated with low doses of apixaban or the vitamin K antagonist (VKA) acenocumarol in this setting. Methods: Multicenter observational registry including patients treated after TAVI with low doses of apixaban (2.5 mg/12 hours) or VKA both without associated antiplatelet therapy. Propensity score matching was conducted to select 2 comparable cohorts. Data were gathered for 12 months following the procedure. Coprimary endpoints of efficacy (death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) and safety (bleeding BARC ≥ 2) were considered. Results: A total of 236 patients were included. They were divided into 2 comparable groups of 64 patients each. Only 19 patients (30%) strictly met the dose adjustment criteria for apixaban. The rate of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke was similar at the 12-month follow-up (12.5% with VKA vs 9.3% with apixaban, P = .5), but the rate of bleeding BARC ≥ 2 was significantly higher in the VKA group (7.8% vs 0%; P = .02). Most of the events seen in the apixaban group occurred in patients with incorrect dose titration. Conclusions: In this registry of patients treated with TAVI and atrial fibrillation the use of low-dose apixaban compared to VKA—both without antiplatelet agents—was associated to a lower rate of actionable bleeding and a similar rate of thrombotic events. Introducción y objetivos: Una proporción significativa de pacientes sometidos a implante percutáneo de válvula aórtica (TAVI) presenta indicación de anticoagulación oral por fibrilación auricular. En estos pacientes, con frecuencia el riesgo hemorrágico es alto. El objetivo del estudio fue comparar los resultados clínicos en pacientes tratados con dosis baja de apixabán o con acenocumarol, un antagonista de la vitamina K (AVK). Métodos: Registro observacional multicéntrico que incluyó pacientes sometidos a TAVI tratados con dosis baja de apixabán (2,5 mg/12 h) o AVK, en ambos casos sin tratamiento antiplaquetario asociado. Se llevó a cabo un emparejamiento por puntuación de propensión para seleccionar dos cohortes comparables. Se recabó la información de los 12 meses posteriores al procedimiento. Se consideraron objetivos coprimarios de eficacia (muerte,