Background Bleeding events are common complications of oral anticoagulant drugs, including both warfarin and the direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). Some patients have their anticoagulant changed or discontinued after experiencing a bleeding event, while others continue the same treatment. Differences in anticoagulation management between warfarin- and DOAC-treated patients following a bleeding event are unknown. Methods Patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation from six anticoagulation clinics taking warfarin or DOAC therapy who experienced an International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH)-defined major or clinically relevant non-major (CRNM) bleeding event were identified between 2016 and 2020. The primary outcome was management of the anticoagulant following bleeding (discontinuation, change in drug class, and restarting of same drug class). DOAC- and warfarin-treated patients were propensity matched based on the individual elements of the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores as well as the severity of the bleeding event. Results Of the 509 patients on warfarin therapy and 246 on DOAC therapy who experienced a major or CRNM bleeding event, the majority of patients continued anticoagulation therapy. The majority of warfarin (231, 62.6%) and DOAC patients (201, 81.7%) restarted their previous anticoagulation. Conclusion Following a bleeding event, most patients restarted anticoagulation therapy, most often with the same type of anticoagulant that they previously had been taking.

Introduction: Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) have overtaken warfarin in the treatment of non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, there is very limited data that explores the safety of DOACs for patients that are morbidly obese (BMI >40). Methods: In this multi-center retrospective study, we sought to use the Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement registry (MAQI) to see how treatment of non-valvular AF or VTE with DOAC vs. warfarin affects bleeding in morbidly obese patients. Specifically, we compared average major, clinically relevant non-major (CRNM), and minor bleeding events per 100 patient years that were adjusted for statistically significant baseline characteristics (p<0.05). Results: There were a total of 1028 patients with BMI >40 included in the registry between June 2015 and September 2019. 434 patients were treated with DOACs, while 594 patients were treated with warfarin. Baseline characteristics between the two groups included age (61.5 vs 57.8, p<0.001), gender (63.6% vs 61.1% female, p=0.42), race (76.5% vs 64.3% white, p<0.001), and HAS-BLED score (2.3 vs 2.3, p=0.96). The DOAC treated group had a higher event rate of major (4.3 vs 3.7, p=0.006), CRNM (10.7 vs. 7.4, p=0.002), and minor bleeding (19.1 vs. 13.2 p<0.001) compared to the warfarin treated group. Conclusions: There is a higher rate of major, CRNM, and minor bleeding in morbidly obese patients treated with DOAC compared to warfarin. Further studies to compare the two anticoagulants and understand bleeding drivers in this population are needed.

Background: Bridging the Discharge Gap Effectively (BRIDGE) is a cardiac transitional care clinic. BRIDGE has demonstrated improved patient outcomes for some populations. This study sought to determine if differences in outcomes (readmissions, ED visits, death) exist for Caucasian and non-Caucasian patients based on BRIDGE attendance and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: Data on patients referred to BRIDGE from 2008-2014 were analyzed. Patients were split into two cohorts (Caucasian and non-Caucasian) and outcomes for each were independently compared by BRIDGE attendance and SES. Non-low SES was defined as income > $48,600 (200% poverty line for a family of 4) and low SES was income ≤ $48,600. Demographics and outcomes were compared between groups. Results: Of 2964 patients, 15.1% were non-Caucasian (n=448). Caucasians were significantly older than non-Caucasians (66.16±14.29 v 59.14±14.75, p<0.001), and were more likely to have primary diagnoses of acute coronary syndrome (28.2% v 23.5%, p=0.039) or atrial fibrillation (16.8% v 9.3%, p<0.001). Among Caucasian patients, BRIDGE attenders had significantly lower 30-day readmission rates (8.6% v 11.3%, p=0.038) and fewer ED visits within 6 months (1.80±1.3 v 2.10±2.0, p=0.049). Non-Caucasians, however, were more likely to have an ED visit within 6 months (40.9% v 33.7%, p=0.012; data not shown). Non-Caucasians of low SES were more likely to be readmitted within 6 months (40.5% v 29.5%, p=0.029) and less likely to attend BRIDGE (64.9% v 76.4%, p=0.016) than non-low SES non-Caucasians. There were no significant differences between non-low and low SES Caucasian patients. Among BRIDGE attenders, 6-month mortality rates were significantly lower for both groups (Caucasian: 5.2% v 10.8%, p<0.001; non -Caucasian: 4.3% v 10.7%, p=0.013). Conclusions: BRIDGE attendance was associated with improved outcomes in Caucasians that were not seen in non-Caucasians, with the exception of reduced mortality. Also, SES appears to impact non-Caucasians more than Caucasians, with low SES non-Caucasians having higher readmission rates and lower BRIDGE attendance than non-low SES non-Caucasians. Differences seen may be biased due to unevenly distributed groups (i.e. age and diagnosis). Efforts to target these vulnerable populations are warranted to reduce disparities.