Comparison of Direct Oral Anticoagulants and Warfarin in the Treatment of Deep Venous Thrombosis in the Chronic Phase.

We assessed the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for the treatment of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the chronic phase through comparison with conventional warfarin therapy.A total of 807 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with having DVT in the chronic phase were included (484 patients to warfarin therapy and 323 patients to DOAC therapy). The condition of leg veins was assessed 3 to 6 months after starting the therapies by ultrasound examination. Major bleeding and mortality during the therapies were followed-up.There was no significant difference between the two groups in the thrombosis improvement rate (DOAC group: 91.2% versus warfarin group: 88.9%). There was no significant difference between the two groups in major bleeding (DOAC group: 1.8% versus warfarin group: 1.8%). In patients with active cancer, the DOAC group had a borderline higher thrombosis improvement rate than the warfarin group (92.1% versus 80.0%, P = 0.05). The proportion of major bleeding in the patients with active cancer was slightly higher in the warfarin group than in the DOAC group (4.3% versus 2.8%; P = 0.71). Active cancer was not an independent risk factor for major bleeding and recurrence in the DOAC group (OR 2.68, 95% CI 0.51-14.1; P = 0.24 and OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.20-2.07; P = 0.47).In treatment using oral anticoagulants for DVT in the chronic phase, DOACs exhibited equal efficacy and safety as warfarin did. Particularly DOACs appear to be an attractive therapeutic option for cancer-associated DVT in chronic phase, with relatively low anticipated rates of recurrence and major bleeding.

A treatment strategy using subcutaneous fondaparinux followed by oral rivaroxaban is effective for treating acute venous thromboembolism.

BACKGROUND: The factor Xa inhibitors have been widely used for the treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the efficacy of factor Xa inhibitors in Japanese patients with VTE has not been well examined. In this study, we investigated the effect of the sequential use of two factor Xa inhibitors in patients with acute VTE. METHODS: We conducted an observational study of 87 consecutive patients diagnosed with VTE. As an initial treatment, we administered subcutaneous fondaparinux to the patients for 7-10 days, and then switched to oral rivaroxaban. The symptoms and findings were assessed after the initial treatment and after using rivaroxaban for 7-14 days. We evaluated the deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs using our own scoring system [quantitative ultrasound thrombosis (QUT) score]. RESULTS: Of the 87 patients, 33% had symptoms, half had pulmonary embolism (PE), and 95% had DVT of the legs. Out of the 87 patients, VTE worsened during the administration of fondaparinux in 4 patients. All of them had experienced malignancy, and died within 6 months. Of two patients developing bleeding, one patient required a transfusion. Eventually, this strategy was effective in 80 patients and had no change in one. The D-dimer level was significantly reduced by fondaparinux (17.8µg/ml±16.0µg/ml vs. 8.3µg/ml±7.2µg/ml, p<0.0001), followed by rivaroxaban (8.3µg/ml±7.2µg/ml vs. 5.5µg/ml±4.9µg/ml, p<0.0001). Similarly, the QUT score was improved by fondaparinux (4.7±2.6 vs. 2.5±2.5, p<0.0001), and further reduced by rivaroxaban (2.5±2.5 vs. 1.9±1.8, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A treatment strategy using subcutaneous fondaparinux followed by oral rivaroxaban is effective for treating acute VTE in Japanese patients.