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Safety and efficacy of well managed warfarin: A report from the Swedish quality register Auricula

Sjogren, Vilhelm ; Grzymala-Lubanski, Bartosz ; Renlund, Henrik ; Friberg, Leif ; Lip, Gregory Y. H. ; Svensson, Peter LU and Sjalander, Anders (2015) In Thrombosis and Haemostasis 113(6). p.1370-1377
Abstract
The safety and efficacy of warfarin in a large, unselected cohort of warfarin-treated patients with high quality of care is comparable to that reported for non-vitamin K antagonists. Warfarin is commonly used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, as well as for treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolism. While reducing risk of thrombotic/embolic incidents, warfarin increases the risk of bleeding. The aim of this study was to elucidate risks of bleeding and thromboembolism for patients on warfarin treatment in a large, unselected cohort with rigorously controlled treatment. This was a retrospective, registry-based study, covering all patients treated with warfarin in the Swedish national anticoagulation register Auricula,... (More)
The safety and efficacy of warfarin in a large, unselected cohort of warfarin-treated patients with high quality of care is comparable to that reported for non-vitamin K antagonists. Warfarin is commonly used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, as well as for treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolism. While reducing risk of thrombotic/embolic incidents, warfarin increases the risk of bleeding. The aim of this study was to elucidate risks of bleeding and thromboembolism for patients on warfarin treatment in a large, unselected cohort with rigorously controlled treatment. This was a retrospective, registry-based study, covering all patients treated with warfarin in the Swedish national anticoagulation register Auricula, which records both primary and specialised care. The study included 77,423 unselected patients with 100,952 treatment periods of warfarin, constituting 217,804 treatment years. Study period was January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2011. Atrial fibrillation was the most common indication (68%). The mean time in therapeutic range of the international normalised ratio (INR) 2.0-3.0 was 76.5%. The annual incidence of I severe bleeding was 2.24% and of thromboembolism 2.65%. The incidence of intracranial bleeding was 0.37% per treatment year in the whole population, and 0.38% among patients with atrial fibrillation. In conclusion, warfarin treatment where patients spend a high proportion of time in the therapeutic range is safe and effective, and will continue to be a valid treatment option in the era of newer oral anticoagulants. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Thrombosis and Haemostasis
volume
113
issue
6
pages
1370 - 1377
publisher
Schattauer GmbH
external identifiers
  • wos:000355776400026
  • scopus:84931274711
  • pmid:25716771
ISSN
0340-6245
DOI
10.1160/TH14-10-0859
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
683a59b4-5c30-4735-99c2-fed0b4b6bd26 (old id 7605107)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:05:00
date last changed
2022-03-30 00:26:15
@article{683a59b4-5c30-4735-99c2-fed0b4b6bd26,
  abstract     = {{The safety and efficacy of warfarin in a large, unselected cohort of warfarin-treated patients with high quality of care is comparable to that reported for non-vitamin K antagonists. Warfarin is commonly used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, as well as for treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolism. While reducing risk of thrombotic/embolic incidents, warfarin increases the risk of bleeding. The aim of this study was to elucidate risks of bleeding and thromboembolism for patients on warfarin treatment in a large, unselected cohort with rigorously controlled treatment. This was a retrospective, registry-based study, covering all patients treated with warfarin in the Swedish national anticoagulation register Auricula, which records both primary and specialised care. The study included 77,423 unselected patients with 100,952 treatment periods of warfarin, constituting 217,804 treatment years. Study period was January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2011. Atrial fibrillation was the most common indication (68%). The mean time in therapeutic range of the international normalised ratio (INR) 2.0-3.0 was 76.5%. The annual incidence of I severe bleeding was 2.24% and of thromboembolism 2.65%. The incidence of intracranial bleeding was 0.37% per treatment year in the whole population, and 0.38% among patients with atrial fibrillation. In conclusion, warfarin treatment where patients spend a high proportion of time in the therapeutic range is safe and effective, and will continue to be a valid treatment option in the era of newer oral anticoagulants.}},
  author       = {{Sjogren, Vilhelm and Grzymala-Lubanski, Bartosz and Renlund, Henrik and Friberg, Leif and Lip, Gregory Y. H. and Svensson, Peter and Sjalander, Anders}},
  issn         = {{0340-6245}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{1370--1377}},
  publisher    = {{Schattauer GmbH}},
  series       = {{Thrombosis and Haemostasis}},
  title        = {{Safety and efficacy of well managed warfarin: A report from the Swedish quality register Auricula}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1160/TH14-10-0859}},
  doi          = {{10.1160/TH14-10-0859}},
  volume       = {{113}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}