Dabigatran compared with warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation and symptomatic heart failure: a subgroup analysis of the RE-LY trial

We evaluated the effects of dabigatran compared with warfarin in the subgroup of patients with previous symptomatic heart failure (HF) in the RE-LY trial. RE-LY compared two fixed and blinded doses of dabigatran (110 and 150 mg twice daily) with open-label warfarin in 18 113 patients with AF at increased risk for stroke. Among 4904 patients with HF, annual rates of stroke or systemic embolism (SE) were 1.92 for patients on warfarin compared with 1.90 for dabigatran 110 mg [hazard ratio (HR) 0.99, 95 confidence interval (CI) 0.691.42] and 1.44 for dabigatran 150 mg (HR 0.75, 95 CI 0.511.10). Annual rates of major bleeding were 3.90 for the group on warfarin, compared with 3.26 for dabigatran 110 mg (HR 0.83, 95 CI 0.641.09) and 3.10 for dabigatran 150 mg (HR 0.79, 95 CI 0.601.03). Rates of intracranial bleeding were significantly lower for both dabigatran dosages compared with warfarin in patients with HF (dabigatran 110 mg vs. warfarin, HR 0.34, 95 CI 0.140.80; dabigatran 150 mg vs. warfarin, HR 0.39, 95 CI 0.170.89). The relative effects of dabigatran vs. warfarin on the occurrence of stroke or SE and major bleeding were consistent among those with and without HF and those with low (40) or preserved (40) LVEF (P interaction not significant). The overall benefits of dabigatran for stroke/SE prevention, and major and intracranial bleeding, relative to warfarin in the RE-LY trial were consistent in patients with and without HF.