Wiley, Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 6(98), 2021
DOI: 10.1002/ccd.29753
Full text: Unavailable
AbstractObjectivesTo determine the prognostic impact of anemia in patients randomized to bivalirudin or unfractionated heparin (UFH) during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).BackgroundWhether the periprocedural use of bivalirudin as compared with UFH in anemic patients undergoing TAVR has an impact on outcomes remains unknown.MethodsThe BRAVO‐3 trial compared the use of bivalirudin versus UFH in 802 high risk patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Patients were stratified according to the presence (defined as hemoglobin levels <13 g/dl in men and <12 g/dl in women) or absence of anemia. The primary outcomes were net adverse cardiac events (NACE; a composite of all‐cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, or bleeding) and major bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium ≥3b) at 30 days.ResultsAmong 798 patients with available baseline hemoglobin levels, 427 (54%) were anemic of whom 221 (52%) received bivalirudin. There were no significant differences in NACE and major bleeding at 30 days between patients with and without anemia, irrespective of the type of anticoagulant used (pinteraction = 0.71 for NACE, pinteraction = 1.0 for major bleeding). However, anemic patients had a higher risk of major vascular complications (adjusted OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.42–4.16, p = 0.001), and acute kidney injury (adjusted OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.16–2.59, p = 0.007) compared to non‐anemic patients at 30 days.ConclusionsAnemia was not associated with a higher risk of NACE or major bleeding at 30 days after TAVR without modification of the treatment effects of periprocedural anticoagulation with bivalirudin versus UFH.