Direct oral anticoagulant plus antiplatelet therapy: prescribing practices and bleeding outcomes

Concurrent antiplatelet therapy (APT) is common during warfarin therapy but is less well-documented during direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) therapy. Combined anticoagulant and APT use has been associated with increased bleeding risk without providing additional protection against thrombosis. This study aimed to describe single-center prescribing rates of DOAC + APT as well as compare bleeding rates between DOAC monotherapy and DOAC + APT cohorts. Patients receiving DOAC therapy were evaluated for APT use at the time of hospital discharge. Patients were categorized into DOAC monotherapy and DOAC + APT cohorts. Primary outcomes included DOAC + APT prescribing rate as well as rates of major bleeding and clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB) within six months after hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included rates of thromboembolism and all-cause mortality. Of 407 patients receiving DOAC therapy, 78 (19.2%) also received APT at hospital discharge. Common indications for APT included secondary cardiovascular event prevention (57.7%) and primary cardiovascular event prevention (29.5%). The indication for APT could not be determined in 12.8% of patients. The major bleeding rate was 1.3% for DOAC + APT and 1.2% for DOAC monotherapy (p = 0.95). The CRNMB rate was 10.2% for DOAC + APT and 6.4% for DOAC monotherapy (p = 0.23). Thromboembolism and mortality were infrequent in both cohorts. DOAC + APT was documented in approximately 1 of 5 patients. Adding APT to DOAC therapy did not significantly increase the major bleeding or CRNMB rates compared to DOAC monotherapy but the sample size limits drawing conclusions about the safety of these regimens. Targeting primary prevention or unclear indications for APT could be a focus of future interventions.