Clinical Outcomes of Anticoagulated Patients With Atrial Fibrillation After Falls or Head Injury: Insights From RE-LY.

BACKGROUND: Falls are always a concern regarding the balance of risk/benefit in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with anticoagulants. In this analysis, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients that had a fall/head injury reported in the RE-LY clinical trial (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy) and to explore the safety of dabigatran (a nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant). METHODS: We performed a post hoc retrospective analysis of intracranial hemorrhage and major bleeding outcomes in the RE-LY trial with 18 113 individuals with atrial fibrillation, according to the status occurrence of falls (or head injury) reported as adverse events. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to provide adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI. RESULTS: In the study, 974 falls or head injury events were reported among 716 patients (4%). These patients were older and had more frequently comorbidities such as diabetes, previous stroke, or coronary artery disease. Patients with fall had a higher risk of major bleeding (HR, 2.41 [95% CI, 1.90-3.05]), intracranial hemorrhage (HR, 1.69 [95% CI, 1.35-2.13]), and mortality (HR, 3.91 [95% CI, 2.51-6.10]) compared to those who did not have reported falls or head injury. Among patients who had falls, those allocated to dabigatran showed a lower intracranial hemorrhage risk (HR, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.18-0.98]) compared with warfarin. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, the risk of falls is important and confers a worse prognosis, increasing intracranial hemorrhage, and major bleeding. Patients who fell and were under dabigatran was associated with lower intracranial hemorrhage risk than those anticoagulated with warfarin, but the analysis was merely exploratory.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Falls are always a concern regarding the balance of risk/benefit in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with anticoagulants. In this analysis, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients that had a fall/head injury reported in the RE-LY clinical trial (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term...

Leech-derived molecules this paper discusses, each with a full profile in the ASH compound registry:

Erfahren Sie, wie diese Forschung mit der klinischen Praxis verknüpft ist

More peer-reviewed studies in Klinische Studien.

• Leech Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis — The Landmark RCT — Michalsen et al. (2003)
• Leech-Assisted Flap Salvage — Systematic Review of 277 Cases — Whitaker et al. (2012)
• Effects of hirudotherapy on liver functions, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in rats with metabolic syndrome — Bilden A et al. (2026)
• Efficacy and Safety of Hirudotherapy for Improving Sperm Quality Parameters in Male Infertility: A Randomized Controlled Trial — Abtahi-Forooshani M et al. (2026)
• Reverse Sural Flap Venous Congestion Successfully Managed With Enoxaparin in a Male Patient With a Traumatic Foot Crush Injury: A Case Report — Velasco-Bustamante J et al. (2026)
• Investigation of the therapeutic effects of medicinal leech treatment on lower extremity ischemia-reperfusion injury — Ünal K et al. (2026)
• Efficacy of Medicinal Leech Therapy in Diverse Clinical Applications: A Comprehensive Study from Azerbaijan — Farzali S et al. (2025)
• HIRUDOTHERAPY IN RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY: CASE-REPORTS AND REVIEW — Heinz P et al. (2020)
• Hirudotherapy Efficacy and Complications in the Management of Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review — Foppiani J et al. (2024)
• Hirudotherapy in Wound Healing — Nair H et al. (2022)

Browse all ASH-analysed research →