Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To explore the practical difficulties and intervention directions in standardized anticoagulant therapy for elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, and to promote the standardization of anticoagulant therapy in this population.
METHODS Cases of atrial fibrillation(age ≥60 years) from the Department of Cardiology over one year at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University were retrospectively extracted. Anticoagulant therapy appropriateness in elderly non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients were assessed; Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants of anticoagulant therapy omission in discharge treatment plans. Interventions were implemented for these obstacles; Cox regression analysis was used to preliminarily compare the risk of primary outcome events between different non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants(NOACs) dose groups.
RESULTS Among 489 elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, 254 patients received appropriate oral anticoagulant therapy, while 235 cases were inappropriate: 129 patients were not treated with oral anticoagulant with indications, 62 cases received reduced-dosage, 40 cases were prescribed off-label dosage, and 4 cases had contraindications. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated paroxysmal AF(OR=0.16, 95%CI=0.09–0.27), pacemaker implantation(OR=0.15, 95%CI=0.06–0.40), percutaneous coronary intervention(OR=0.37, 95%CI=0.15–0.90), and serum creatinine ≥200 μmol·L−1(OR=0.15, 95%CI=0.04–0.60) as factors associated with obstacles of anticoagulant therapy. Among patients with reduced NOACs doses and those with standard doses, a 4.8-year follow-up showed no significant differences in thrombotic events(HR=0.96, 95%CI=0.57–1.63) and major bleeding events(HR=0.95, 95%CI=0.45–2.02).
CONCLUSION After clinical pharmacist intervention, the use of anticoagulants in non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients over 60 years of age in the hospital where the author works has significantly increased, but the phenomenon of reduced NOACs dosage is still common.