Impact of home warfarin use on treatment patterns and bleeding complications for patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes: Observations from the CRUSADE quality improvement initiative

Tracy Y. Wang, Anita Y. Chen, Eric D. Peterson, Richard C. Becker, W. Brian Gibler, E. Magnus Ohman, Matthew T. Roe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aims: To examine treatment patterns and outcomes of patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE ACS) receiving long-term warfarin anticoagulation. Methods and results: We examined acute medication and invasive cardiac procedure use and in-hospital outcomes among 101 078 patients with NSTE ACS included in the CRUSADE registry. On admission, 7201 patients (7%) were on home warfarin therapy. Compared with non-anticoagulated patients, these patients were older and had more comorbidities, but were less likely to receive acute antiplatelet and antithrombin medications. Patients on warfarin were also less likely to undergo coronary angiography (adjusted OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.70-0.86) and percutaneous coronary intervention (adjusted OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.75-0.86), and had longer waiting times for these procedures when performed. Although patients on warfarin had higher rates of death and major bleeding compared with non-anticoagulated patients, these differences were no longer significant after multivariable adjustment [ORs 0.90 (95% CI 0.80-1.02) and 1.02 (95% CI 0.93-1.11)]. Among patients on warfarin, however, early use of antiplatelet medications was associated with increased transfusion risk. Conclusion: Despite higher-risk characteristics, warfarin-anticoagulated patients are often more conservatively managed, as early use of antithrombotic therapies may be associated with increased bleeding. Further investigation is needed to determine the optimal choice of therapies for this population.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1103-1109
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean heart journal
Volume29
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Anticoagulation
  • Bleeding
  • NSTE ACS
  • Warfarin

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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