Skip to main content

Warfarin Cuts Mortality, Thromboembolism After Valve Replacement

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 4, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 4, 2024 -- Warfarin use after bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR) is associated with lower all-cause mortality and a decreased risk for thromboembolism compared with not receiving warfarin, according to a study published in the December issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Ying Huang, M.D., Ph.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues compared all-cause mortality and thromboembolic events in patients undergoing sAVR receiving anticoagulation with warfarin (≥30 days of continuous prescription coverage after sAVR) versus patients with no systemic anticoagulation. The analysis included 10,589 adult patients having bioprosthetic sAVR with or without coronary artery bypass from 2007 through 2019 (2,930 pairs of propensity score-matched patients).

The researchers found that overall mortality was lower for the warfarin group than for the nonwarfarin group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.68; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.47 to 1.00; P = 0.047). There was also a trend toward a decreased cumulative incidence of thromboembolic events (subdistribution HR [SHR], 0.62; 95 percent CI, 0.35 to 1.07; P = 0.09). For major bleeding events, cumulative incidence was higher for the warfarin group versus the nonwarfarin group (SHR, 1.94; 95 percent CI, 1.28 to 2.94; P = 0.002). In a subgroup analysis of patients undergoing isolated sAVR, results were similar.

“Our research finds that the small increased hazard of bleeding (4 percent versus 2.3 percent) may be an acceptable risk given the benefits in terms of mortality risk as well as reduced risk of thromboembolism," coauthor Hartzell Schaff, M.D., also from the Mayo Clinic, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2024

Read this next

Use of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Up in Adults Younger Than 60

TUESDAY, Feb. 13, 2024 -- For patients aged younger than 60 years, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly used and has overtaken surgical aortic valve...

Updated Guidelines Issued for Assessing Prosthetic Heart Valves

TUESDAY, Jan. 16, 2024 -- In guidelines issued by the American Society of Echocardiography and published online in the January issue of the Journal of the American Society of...

TCT: TAVR, SAVR Comparable for Severe Aortic Stenosis, Small Aortic Annulus

FRIDAY, Oct. 27, 2023 -- For patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and small aortic annulus (SAA), valve hemodynamic results are comparable with use of transcatheter aortic...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.