This systematic review compared direct oral anticoagulants with vitamin K antagonists in adults requiring anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery. Five randomized trials included 302 patients, with 153 receiving direct oral anticoagulants and 149 receiving warfarin. Rivaroxaban was studied in three trials, and apixaban and dabigatran in one each. The primary outcome, any bleeding, occurred in 9.2% versus 8.1%, respectively (odds ratio 1.24; 95% confidence interval 0.39–3.99), without a statistically significant difference and with substantial uncertainty.
The pooled bleeding result does not establish equivalence between anticoagulant strategies after cardiac surgery. The wide confidence interval leaves clinically important differences unresolved.
Study limitation: Only 302 patients were included; the supplied abstract does not report follow-up duration or results for stroke and other secondary outcomes.
AI-generated from the published abstract with automated source checks. For research discovery; consult the original paper before applying findings.