Antithrombotic Strategies After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients Without an Indication of Oral Anticoagulants: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Single-antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) has been a standard of care posttranscatheter aortic valve replacement with no clear evidence exist using direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), vitamin K antagonists (VKA), or dual antiplatelet agents (DAPT); thus we aim to compare the safety and efficacy of the various antithrombotic strategies after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. We performed a network meta-analysis using a frequentist framework, pooling dichotomous outcomes using risk ratio (RR), and continuous data using mean difference, along with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Nine randomized controlled trials with 4193 patients were included, 567 patients were in the VKA group, 591 patients in the SAPT group, 1571 patients in the DAPT group, and 1464 patients in the DOACs group. Only DOAC showed a statistically significant higher risk of all-cause mortality [RR of 1.88 (95% CI: 1.07-3.28)] with no statistically significant difference between our arms in terms of mortality. For minor bleeding, DAPT had a significant higher risk with RR of 1.53 (95% CI: 1.04-2.25), while for major bleeding, DAPT and DOAC had a significant higher risk with RR of 2.36 (95% CI: 1.27-4.40) and 4.74 (95% CI: 2.05-10.92), respectively. There was no significant difference in terms of stroke and life-threatening bleeding. Moreover, only DOAC showed a significantly lower risk for valve thrombosis, when compared to other strategies [RR: 0.24 (95% CI: 0.13-0.46)]. Overall, SAPT had lower major bleeding events compared to other arms. There were no differences in the outcomes of stroke, myocardial infarction, or life-threatening bleeding outcomes. However, DOACs significantly reduced valve thrombosis compared to VKAs.