Background: Anticoagulation in patients with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and mechanical heart valves is often held for risk of ICH expansion; however, there exists a competing risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Optimal timing to resume anticoagulation remains uncertain.
Methods and results: We retrospectively studied patients with ICH and mechanical heart valves from 2000 to 2018. The primary outcome was a composite end point of symptomatic hematoma expansion or new ICH, AIS, and intracardiac thrombus up to 30 days post-ICH. The exposure was timing of reinitiation of anticoagulation classified as early (resumed up to 7 days after ICH), late (≥7 and up to 30 days after ICH), and never if not resumed or resumed after 30 days post-ICH. We included 184 patients with ICH and mechanical heart valves (65 anticoagulated early, 100 late, 19 not resumed by day 30 post-ICH). Twelve patients had AIS, 16 new ICH, and 6 intracardiac thromboses. The mean time from ICH to anticoagulation was 12.7 days. Composite outcomes occurred in 12 patients resumed early (18.5%), 14 resumed late (14.0%), and 4 never resumed (21.1%). There was no increased hazard of the composite outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 1.1 [95% CI, 0.2-6.0]), AIS, or worsening or new ICH among patients resumed early versus late. There was no difference in the composite among patients never resumed versus resumed. Patients who never resumed anticoagulation had significantly more severe ICH (median Glasgow Coma Scale: 10.6, 13.9, and 13.9 among those who resumed never, early, and late, respectively; P=0.0001), higher in-hospital mortality (56.5%, 0%, and 0%, respectively; P<0.0001), and an elevated 30-day AIS risk (HR, 15.9 [95% CI, 1.9-129.7], P=0.0098).
Conclusions: In this study of patients with ICH and mechanical heart valves, there was no difference in 30-day thrombotic and hemorrhagic brain-related outcomes when anticoagulation was resumed within 7 versus 7 to 30 days after ICH. Withholding anticoagulation >30 days was associated with severe baseline ICH, higher in-hospital case fatality, and elevated AIS risk.
Keywords: anticoagulants; cerebrovascular disease/stroke; embolism; intracranial hemorrhage; quality and outcomes; thrombosis; valvular heart disease.