Non–vitamin K oral anticoagulant use after cardiac surgery is rapidly increasing

The prevalence of non–vitamin K oral anticoagulant use after cardiac surgery is unknown, particularly in patients with bioprosthetic valves. We sought to define the contemporary use and short-term safety of non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants after cardiac surgery. All patients undergoing bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement, bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement, or isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (2011-2018) were evaluated from a multicenter, regional Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. Patients were stratified by anticoagulant type (non–vitamin K oral anticoagulant vs vitamin K antagonist) and era (early [2011-2014] vs contemporary [2015-2018]). Of 34,188 patients, 18% (6063) were discharged on anticoagulation, of whom 23% were prescribed non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants. Among those receiving anticoagulation, non–vitamin K oral anticoagulant use has significantly increased from 10.3% to 35.4% in contemporary practice (P