Comparing Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Meta-Analysis

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most prevalent valvular disease in the elderly population and the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases in the elderly population. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) becomes an important treatment for patients with AS at high surgical risk. This metanalysis aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with AF undergoing TAVR. We searched the different databases for articles published before January 31, 2022. In total, 7 studies including 25,255 patients were analyzed. Data on demographics, comorbidities, CHA2DS2-VASc score, Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score, and incidences of all-cause mortality, major bleeding, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), stroke, and thromboembolic events were obtained and analyzed. The VKA group had a lower CHA2DS2-VASc score (3.2 +/- 1.2 vs 3.3 +/- 1.2; P < .001) and a higher STS score (6.6 +/- 3.2 vs 6.1 +/- 2.9; P < .001) than the DOAC group. The risks of all-cause mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-1.16), ischemic stroke (OR: 1.06; 95% CI, 0.90-1.24), and thromboembolism (OR: 1.24; 95% CI, 0.63-2.47) in the DOAC group were comparable to the VKA group. The risks of major bleeding (OR: 0.77; 95% CI, 0.71-0.84) and ICH (OR: 0.62; 95% CI, 0.42-0.90) were lower in the DOAC group compared to the VKA group. DOACs were associated with lower risks of major bleeding and ICH, and comparable risks of all-cause mortality, ischemic stroke, and thromboembolism in patients with AF undergoing TAVR compared to VKAs.