Increased Risk for Gastrointestinal Bleeding with New Oral Anticoagulants

Elevated risk was observed mostly in patients with acute coronary syndrome or venous thrombosis and in patients taking the drugs dabigatran or rivaroxaban.

Several new oral anticoagulants (nOACs) have been developed that inhibit thrombin or factor Xa, but study findings vary on their associated risk for bleeding complications, particularly gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Because there are no known reversal agents for these drugs, further research is essential.

In the current study, investigators conducted a systematic review and subsequent meta-analysis of 43 randomized trials comprising 151,578 patients. Trials compared nOACs with standard care (which could include other antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy) for risk of bleeding. GIB was assessed in only 19 of these trials; no events occurred in 2 of those trials. The remaining 17 trials identified 1101 GIB events in 75,081 patients. The ove…

Reviewing Author

David J. Bjorkman, MD, MSPH (HSA), SM (Epid.)

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

David J. Bjorkman, MD, MSPH (HSA), SM (Epid.)

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Increased Risk for Gastrointestinal Bleeding with New Oral Anticoagulants

Topics

Reviewing Author