Background: We performed a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC)-based versus vitamin K antagonists (VKA)-based regimens in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute coronary syndromes or PCI, aiming to examine the precise impact of recently established antithrombotic strategies on major bleeding as primary end-point and other safety and efficacy as secondary end-points.
Methods: A literature search was conducted for randomized controlled trials. Our search took place in three major databases. The primary endpoint of our study was bleeding. To combine direct and indirect evidence across trials, a frequentist network meta-analysis with a random-effects model was used.
Results: Five studies were found eligible for the meta-analysis enrolling a total of 11,542 patients. Five studies (N = 4903 patients) contributed to the network. Compared to the triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT)-based VKA, only the dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT) based NOAC reduced the bleeding (RR 0.57, 95%CI 0.40-0.82). There was no statistically significant difference between DAT-based VKA (RR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.40-1.09) or TAT-based NOAC (RR = 0.80, 95%CI = 0.43-1.49). DAT-based NOAC ranked best (P-score = 0.91), followed by DAT-based VKA (P-score = 0.67), TAT-based NOAC (P-score = 0.40), and TAT-based VKA (P-score = 0.03).
Conclusion: The network meta-analysis of four antithrombotic strategies, demonstrated that in patients with AF undergoing PCI the combination of DAT-based NOAC is associated with a significantly lower risk of major bleeding events. This strategy does not seem to be less effective in terms of prevention of ischemic events compared to the other regimens.
Keywords: atrial fibrillation; bleeding; network meta-analysis; percutaneous coronary interventions; systematic review.
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