Outcome of novel oral anticoagulant versus warfarin in frail elderly patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of retrospective studies

Abstract

Background: Frail patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are thought to be at a higher risk for cerebral infarction and death than patients who are not frail, making preventive interventions important. Anticoagulants should be used in frailty patients with AF. However, there are limited data about anticoagulants in frail patients with AF. Therefore, we concucted this meta-analysis to find the best anticoagulation strategy.

Methods: Systematic electronic searches were conducted on 4 July 2022 4 July 2022, in PubMed, Embase (Ovid), and Cochrane Library. Relevant and eligible cohort studies were included. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Furthermore, we performed a publication bias analysis and subgroup analysis to explore the source of heterogeneity.

Result: 3 publications (10 cohorts, 188573 participants) met our inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis showed that ischemic strokes (HR: 0.75; 95%CI: 0.71 to 0.79; I² = 60.2%), systemic embolism (HR: 0.75; 95%CI: 0.64 to 0.87; I = 68.6%), major bleeding(HR: 0.76; 95%CI: 0.64 to 0.89; I² = 97.4%), intracranial hemorrhage (HR: 0.57; 95%CI: 0.45 to 0.71; I² = 54.6%) and cardiovascular death(HR: 0.61; 95%CI: 0.51 to 0.70; I² = 83.2%) were lower in NOACs as compared with warfarin. Regarding gastrointestinal bleeding, meta-analysis showed no significant differences in the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (HR: 0.97; 95%CI: 0.69 to 1.36; I² = 95.9%). .

Conclusion: NOAC was more effective and safety than warfarin in frail patients with AF.

Keywords: Frail elderly; anticoagulant; atrial fibrillation; novel oral anticoagulant; warfarin.