Taking an anticoagulant, or blood-thinning medication, can increase one’s risk of—or exacerbate—a brain bleed, also known as a brain hemorrhage, which is the deadliest type of stroke. Now, new research finds that faster treatment for these patients is associated with a greater likelihood of survival.
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and causes bleeding within the brain. Approximately 20% of patients who suffer brain hemorrhages have been found to take an anticoagulant, such as warfarin, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, and apixaban. These blood thinners are commonly used to treat cardiovascular conditions such as atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm) and chronic and acute blood clotting disorders.
Experts have been wondering if earlier timing was better. This paper, for the first time, demonstrates that it is.
Kevin Sheth, MD
"Oral anticoagulation agents are highly effective and important medications for the population, which individuals appropriately need. As a consequence, it's important to know the infrequent but serious individual risk,” says Kevin Sheth, MD, professor of neurology and of neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine. “Our health systems need to be prepared and ready to move fast when something does go awry.”
Over the past decade, scientists have developed reversal agents for specific anticoagulants, including idarucizumab for dabigatran in 2015 and andexanet alfa for rivaroxaban and apixaban in 2018. These are typically administered in hospital emergency departments and can save the lives of those suffering brain bleeds.
Kevin_Sheth - Mind_Brain_Health_2
Kevin Sheth, MD
Now, using a large, real-world dataset, researchers have shown that administering these treatments more quickly can increase a patient’s chance of survival. The researchers published their findings in JAMA Neurology on February 9.
