Researchers have found that patients with heart damage that occurred after major non-cardiac surgery (MINS) were much less likely to die if they took dabigatran twice a day.
The anticoagulant drug dabigatran significantly reduces the risk of death, heart attack, stroke, and other heart or hematologic complications in patients with heart damage after major non-cardiac surgery (MINS) , according to new research published in The Lancet.
28% lower risk of major complications
The study cohort consisted of 1,754 patients, recruited from 19 different countries. 51% of them were men, on average 70 years old.
In a previous trial, researchers found that patients with MINS were 2% less likely to die if they took dabigatran twice a day. Ditto for heart attack, stroke, development of blood clots, or amputation due to cardiovascular disease.
After a further 16-month follow-up, the scientists established that patients treated with dabigatran had an overall 28% lower risk of major complications.
Compared with subjects who received placebo, patients treated with dabigatran were 20% less likely to die of a cardiovascular cause, have a heart attack (20%), 30% less risk of having an amputation and 53% less likely to develop a venous blood clot. The numbers go up to 80% for non-hemorrhagic stroke.
110 mg twice daily
“For the first time, our team has shown that dabigatran reduces the risk of major cardiovascular complications in patients with MINS,” said PJ Devereaux, lead author of the study.
However, an increased risk of bleeding was observed in the group of patients treated with the anticoagulant. “In patients with NIMS, dabigatran 110 mg twice a day reduces the risk of major vascular complications, without a significant increase in major bleeding”, summarizes the team of researchers.
MINS are the cause of one in four deaths
Each year, around eight million people develop MINS after having, for example, undergone a simple hip replacement or bowel resection. The first 30 days after the surgery, MINS are the cause of one in four deaths.
Now all that remains is to better detect MINS, which still go unnoticed for too long. A blood test has just been developed for this purpose.
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