The efficacy and safety of Rivaroxaban for elderly patients with thrombotic diseases

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of Rivaroxaban for elderly patients with thrombotic diseases. Methods This was a retrospective study.A total of 301 elderly patients taking Rivaroxaban from October 2012 to November 2017 at the Second Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital were consecutively selected.The ages ranged from 60 to 102 years, with an average age of(86.5±8.4)years.Anticoagulation regimens were developed based on comprehensive evaluation of indications, creatinine clearance, ischemia and bleeding risk.Patients were divided into a Rivaroxaban 2.5-5.0 mg/d group(n=72), a 10.0 mg/d group(n=205), and a 15.0-20.0 mg/d group(n=24). Hepatic function, renal function, and coagulation indexes were measured before and after the administration of Rivaroxaban.Fatal bleeding, cardiovascular deaths, all-cause deaths, non-fatal bleeding and thromboembolic events were recorded during the follow-up period. Results The average dose of Rivaroxaban was(9.3±3.0)mg/d, and the minimum dose was 2.5 mg/d.The average follow-up time was(14.9± 13.9)months and the longest follow-up time was 48 months.One patient had intracranial bleeding.Twenty patients(6.6%)died with a cumulative incidence of 25.2%, three(1.0%)died of cardiac events, and 55.0% died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure.Forty patients(13.3%)had non-fatal hemorrhagic events with a cumulative incidence of 42.4%.Seven patients(2.3%)had thromboembolic events with a cumulative incidence of 16.0%, including 2 cases of non-fatal myocardial infarction, 3 cases of cerebral infarction and 2 cases of deep vein thrombosis.After treatment, levels of prothrombin time and fibrinogen significantly increased while levels of D-dimer significantly deceased(P<0.05). Conclusions Compared with previous reports, low-dose Rivaroxaban is safe and effective for elderly patients with thrombotic diseases.However, the risk of bleeding and ischemia should be comprehensively evaluated, and appropriate doses of Rivaroxaban should be selected individually. Key words: Rivaroxaban; Thromboembolism; Hemorrage