Stroke reperfusion therapy following dabigatran reversal with idarucizumab in a national cohort

ObjectiveTo assess the frequency and utilization trends of dabigatran reversal with idarucizumab and compare associated complications, outcomes, and door-to-needle times to those of patients not exposed to idarucizumab in a nationwide cohort of thrombolyzed patients over a 24-month period.MethodsThis is an observational cohort study of all New Zealand patients with stroke treated with stroke reperfusion entered into a mandatory online national registry. Each hospital records data including patient demographics, treatment delays, complications, 7-day outcomes, and idarucizumab use.ResultsBetween 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018, 1,336 patients received thrombolysis. Fifty-one patients received idarucizumab prior to thrombolysis (median [interquartile range] age 73 [57-83] years): 8 (1.3%) in 2017 and 43 (6%) in 2018 (p < 0.001). Over the same 24-month period, 386 patients had stroke clot retrieval, of whom 8 (2.1%) were first treated with idarucizumab. Idarucizumab-treated patients had slower door-to-needle times (83 [54-110] minutes vs 61 [43-85] minutes, p = 0.0006). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in 2 (3.9%) of the idarucizumab-treated patients and 49 (3.8%) of the other thrombolyzed patients (p = 0.97). None of the idarucizumab-treated patients had significant thrombotic complications. At 7 days, 3 (5.9%) idarucizumab-treated and 101 (7.9%) of the other thrombolyzed patients had died (p = 0.61).ConclusionIdarucizumab was used in 6% of all thrombolyzed patients in a national cohort during 2018, up from 1.3% in 2017. Idarucizumab appeared to be safe with similar clinical outcomes to routinely managed patients, despite a 22-minute door-to-needle time delay. Idarucizumab can facilitate thrombolysis in patients with stroke taking dabigatran.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class III evidence that idarucizumab use is associated with similar early post-thrombolysis outcomes compared with patients not exposed to this drug.