Which anticoagulant is safest for patients with morbid obesity?
Patients on warfarin or NOACs have a similar number of events, finds US study
Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and warfarin appear to be similarly safe in morbidly obese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to new US findings.
“In patients with a BMI of at least 40 there didn’t seem to be more thrombotic events or bleeding events in those who were on direct oral anti-Xa inhibitors compared to the ones on [warfarin],” said lead author Dr Margarita Kushnir of Montefiore Medical Center, in New York City.
The researchers retrospectively analysed chart data for 795 adults with BMIs of 40 and above who had been prescribed apixaban, rivaroxaban, or warfarin for AF or VTE.
Among the 366 patients with VTE, recurrent VTE incidence was:
