Effects of body mass index on the safety and effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants: a retrospective review.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis recommends avoiding the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 kg/m

HYPOTHESIS: Higher BMI is associated with altered pharmacokinetics which may affect the safety and effectiveness for DOACs.

METHODS: Data were collected on 3458 patients taking a DOAC prior to admission to a Midwestern health system between February 2013 and August 2016. Of these, 43 patients had a thrombotic event and 70 patients had an overt bleeding event. Patients were stratified among the following three BMI groups: BMI < 30 kg/m

RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between BMI groups for thrombotic events (p = 0.598) or for overt bleeding events (p = 0.065). The BMI < 30 kg/m

CONCLUSIONS: Among patients admitted to a single health system on DOAC therapy over a three-and-a-half-year period, obesity did not significantly correlate with thrombotic or overt bleeding complications. This study is limited as a single health system study with low overall event rates. A preliminary finding of this study showed a trend towards decreased bleeding frequency as BMI increased.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-8-2019

Publication Title

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis

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