Oral anticoagulant therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation on long-term dialysis: A network meta-analysis of 137,574 patients.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) with end-stage renal failure on renal replacement therapy are at high risk of stroke and bleeding, but the optimal oral anticoagulation (OAC) strategy is uncertain. To investigate the most effective OAC therapy for patients with AF on long-term dialysis.

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception to 9 October 2024 to identify relevant studies on OAC strategy for patients with AF on long-term dialysis. The effectiveness outcomes were ischaemic stroke and/or systemic thromboembolism, all-cause mortality and the safety endpoint was major bleeding.

Results: The present study encompassed a comprehensive analysis of 33 studies involving a total of 137,574 patients with AF on long-term dialysis. All OACs, including warfarin (hazard ratio [HR], .963; 95% confidence interval [CI], .841-1.104), did not show a statistically significant decrease in the risk of ischaemic stroke and/or systemic thromboembolism compared to no anticoagulant therapy. Only apixaban 5 mg twice daily was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to non-OAC use (HR, .671; 95% CI, .490-.919). Dabigatran (HR, 2.140; 95% CI, 1.734-2.642) and phenprocoumon (HR, 2.419; 95% CI, 1.241-4.713) were associated with a significantly higher risk of major bleeding than non-OAC use.

Conclusions: All OACs were not associated with a reduced risk of ischaemic stroke and/or systemic thromboembolism in patients with AF on long-term dialysis. Only apixaban 5 mg twice daily was associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality when compared with non-OAC use.