Comparison of Anticoagulants for Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Direct-acting oral anticoagulants are indicated for the treatment of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but their use in patients after undergoing cardiac surgery is poorly defined despite a high prevalence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in this population. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with postoperative atrial fibrillation were prospectively randomized to warfarin or apixaban. Safety, efficacy, and economic outcomes were evaluated until their 4- to 6-week postoperative appointment. RESULTS: While this pilot study was not powered to determine a difference in safety or efficacy, adverse event rates were similar to the published literature. It was noted that a patient's course of therapy when utilizing apixaban was significantly less costly than warfarin when including medication, bridging, and laboratory expenses. CONCLUSION: Apixaban and warfarin both appeared to be safe and effective for anticoagulation throughout the duration of this pilot study in treating postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting. Apixaban was associated with significantly less expense when bridging and monitoring costs were included in addition to medication expense.

Effectiveness of Umeclidinium-Vilanterol for Protocolized Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation in Hospitalized Patients: A Sequential Period Analysis.

Background: Bronchodilator therapy is a foundation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation treatment. Although international guidelines recommend short-acting formulations given multiple times per day, long-acting formulations have not been adequately evaluated. The objective of our study was to determine the effectiveness of umeclidinium-vilanterol (UME/VIL), long-acting beta2-agonist/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LABA/LAMA) as a once-daily alternative for treating COPD exacerbations in hospitalized patients. Methods: In this retrospective sequential period analysis, we reviewed electronic medical records of patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbations before (September 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016) and after (April 1, 2016 to September 30, 2016) incorporation of UME/VIL into our standard COPD protocol. Before implementation, patients received a daily anticholinergic plus twice-daily long-acting beta2-agonist therapy (tiotropium plus formoterol, n=65). After implementation, UME/VIL replaced the previous regimen (n=58). No other changes were made to the COPD protocol. The primary outcome was 30-day hospital readmission rate. Hospital length of stay, 30-day mortality, and cost of care were analyzed as secondary outcomes. Results: A trend toward increased 30-day readmission rates in the post-intervention group (24.1% versus 10.8%, p=0.049) was no longer statistically significant after adjustment for severity of illness (based on case-mix index) and complications or comorbidities based on diagnosis-related group codes (adjusted odds ratio: 2.499; 95% confidence interval: 0.916-7.380; p=0.074). Conclusion: After adjustment for potential confounders,the implementation of a LABA/LAMA combination product was not statistically associated with an increased 30-day readmission rate but was associated with lower cost of care.