A Comparison Between Dabigatran and Warfarin on Time to Elective Cardioversion.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of dabigatran versus warfarin on time to elective direct current cardioversion (DCCV). METHODOLOGY This retrospective observational study was conducted at a single Veterans Affairs hospital in the Southwestern region of the U.S. Patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter who were initiated on either warfarin or dabigatran prior to DCCV were reviewed. The time to cardioversion was compared between warfarin and dabigatran, as well as costs of therapy, rescheduling rates, and adverse events. RESULTS Out of 258 patients reviewed, a total of 68 patients were included in the study. All patients were male with an average age of 68 years (SD=8.6). A total of 38 patients (56%) received dabigatran and 30 patients (44%) received warfarin. Patients in both groups had a median CHADS2 and HASBLED score of 2. The median number of days to cardioversion was 34.5 (range=22-148) for dabigatran compared to 66.5 (range=32-183) for warfarin (p<0.01). Total costs of anticoagulation for warfarin averaged $183.50 (SD=95.02) from initiation of anticoagulation to the end of the required four week period following cardioversion, whereas dabigatran costs averaged $193.20 (SD=59.38). Three patients (10%) in the warfarin group had DCCV rescheduled compared to none in the dabigatran group. There was one bleeding event in the warfarin group and no thromboembolic events in either group. CONCLUSION The use of dabigatran prior to elective DCCV results in a significant decrease in number of days from initiation of anticoagulation to cardioversion as compared to warfarin, with a minor increase in total costs.