The Introduction of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Has Not Resolved Treatment Gaps for Frail Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation

Background: The extent to which the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) influenced treatment patterns in frail and nonfrail patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is unclear. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all Albertans 20 years or older who were discharged from an emergency department or hospital with a new diagnosis of NVAF between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2019. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score was used to define frailty and the CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc and CHADS-65 scores were used to identify if anticoagulation was indicated. Results: Among 75,796 patients (median age, 75 years; 45% female) with a new diagnosis of NVAF, 17,143 (22.6%) were frail. Although guideline criteria for anticoagulation were more commonly met by frail patients than nonfrail patients (92.1% vs 74.2%, for CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc, and 96.8% vs 85.8% for CHADS-65; both P < 0.0001), frail patients were less likely to receive any anticoagulant, even after those with contraindications to anticoagulation were excluded (adjusted odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.58-0.64). After DOACs became available, anticoagulant prescribing for patients with guideline indications increased more in nonfrail patients (from 42.4% to 68.2%) than in frail patients (from 29.0% to 52.2%) and frail patients were less likely to receive a DOAC than warfarin (adjusted odds ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-0.81). Conclusions: Although they stand to potentially derive greater benefits from anticoagulation, frail patients were less likely to receive an anticoagulant and, if anticoagulated, they were more likely to receive warfarin than a DOAC. The introduction of DOACs has increased anticoagulation rates but not resolved treatment gaps for frail patients with NVAF.