Impact of prior oral anticoagulation therapies on post-discharge outcomes after COVID-19: Results from a global federated health network analysis

Background

The impact of chronic oral anticoagulant (OACs) use on long-term post-discharge outcomes after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalisation remains unclear. Herein, we compared clinical outcomes up to 2-years after COVID-19 hospitalisation between patients on vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), direct-acting OACs (DOACs) and no OAC therapy.

Methods

Data from TriNetX, a global federated health research network, were used. Adult patients on VKAs, DOACs or no OAC therapy at diagnosis of COVID-19 between 20 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, who were hospitalised for COVID-19, were included. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA)/systemic embolism (SE) and the composite of intracranial haemorrhage (ICH)/gastrointestinal bleeding, at 2 years after COVID-19 hospitalisation.

Results

We included 110,834 patients with COVID-19. Following propensity score matching (PSM), we identified a decreased mortality risk in DOAC-treated patients compared to the no OAC cohort (RR .808, 95% CI .751–.870). A higher risk of ischaemic stroke/TIA/SE was observed in VKA users compared to DOAC users (RR 1.100, 95% CI 1.020–1.220) and in VKA users compared to patients not taking OAC (RR 1.400, 95% CI 1.140–1.720). VKA use was associated with a greater risk of ICH/gastrointestinal bleeding than DOAC users (RR 1.198, 95% CI 1.066–1.347), while DOAC users had a lower risk compared to no OAC-treated patients (RR .840, 95% CI .754–.936).

Conclusion

COVID-19 patients taking prior DOACs were associated with lower long-term mortality risk and ICH/gastrointestinal bleeding than patients not taking OAC. Compared to patients on DOACs, VKA users were associated with higher risks of mortality, ischaemic stroke/TIA/SE and ICH/gastrointestinal bleeding.