Direct Oral Anticoagulants in the Treatment of Left Ventricular Thrombus: A Retrospective, Multicenter Study and Meta-Analysis of Existing Data.

AIM

To compare the safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) relative to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) for the treatment of left ventricular thrombus (LVT).

METHODS

This retrospective study enrolled patients diagnosed with LVT from 2014-2017. Patient characteristics and outcomes within 12 months of LVT diagnosis were recorded and analyzed. A meta-analysis was also performed by pooling our results with existing data in literature.

RESULTS

14 DOAC and 59 VKA patients were included. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were similar except for age. Although more strokes within 12 months occurred in VKA (15%) than in DOAC (0%) patients, this was not statistically significant ( = 0.189). There were no significant differences in outcomes between patients on DOAC and VKA for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (7%, vs 3.4%, = .477), LVT resolution (86% vs 76%, = .499) or bleeding (14% vs 14%, = 1) within 12 months. The meta-analysis included 6 studies (n = 408 for DOACs; n = 1207 for VKA). There were no significant differences between DOACs versus VKAs with respect to odds for unresolved thrombus (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.26,1.41), embolic events (OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.90,1.69), embolic events and death (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.84,1.45) or bleeding events (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.74,1.72).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study and meta-analysis suggest similar efficacy and safety of DOACs in the treatment of LVT compared to VKA. These findings underscore the need for a randomized controlled trial.