title: Efficacy and safety of combined anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy versus anticoagulant monotherapy after mechanical heart-valve replacement: a metaanalysis.
abstract: We performed a metaanalysis of five randomized controlled trials to compare the efficacy and safety of combined oral anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy versus oral anticoagulants alone after prosthetic heart-valve replacement. The combined regimen reduced embolism and overall mortality by approximately 67% (pooled odds ratio [OR] 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.16 to 0.69; p = 0.0032) and 40% (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.32 to 1.12; p = 0.11), respectively, but increased the risk of hemorrhage by approximately 65% (OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.39; p = 0.0069) and of major gastrointestinal hemorrhage by approximately 250% (OR 3.47; 95% CI 1.43 to 8.40; p = 0.0058). It is estimated that for every 1.6 patients who had their stroke prevented by combination therapy, there was an excess of one major gastrointestinal bleed. This metaanalysis suggests that the benefits derived from the enhanced antithrombotic potential of combined therapy outweigh the toxic effects resulting from the enhanced anticoagulant potential of this regimen.
authors.affiliation: New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cappelleri
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Brophy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deykin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012449:Safety; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors