Abstract 14877: Dabigatran versus Warfarin Among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Real-World Post-Market Results

Introduction: The Randomized Evaluation of Long-term Anticoagulation Therapy (RE-LY) trial demonstrated dabigatran (150mg) to be superior to warfarin for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) but reported an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) and myocardial infarction (MI) among dabigatran users. Hypothesis: Dabigatran may be associated with increased risk of MI and GIB, but post-market data regarding its safety and effectiveness as compared to warfarin are lacking. Methods: Incident users of dabigatran (n=14297) or warfarin (n=33548) with AF were identified from claims data within the Military Healthcare System between Nov 2010-May 2012. Patients with continuous enrollment for 1 year prior to index exposure were identified and followed for 1 year for hospitalization for GIB, MI, ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate crude and adjusted outcome rates. Results: Dabigatran users were younger (74 vs 76 years; p<.01) and h...