Safety and efficacy of uninterrupted treatment with edoxaban or warfarin during the peri‐procedural period of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND: The real-world safety and efficacy of uninterrupted anticoagulation treatment with edoxaban (EDX) or warfarin (WFR) during the peri-procedural period of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) are yet to be investigated. METHODS: We conducted a two-center experience, observational study to retrospectively investigate consecutive patients who underwent CA for AF and received EDX or WFR. We examined the incidence of thromboembolic and bleeding complications during the peri-procedural period. RESULTS: The EDX and WFR groups included 153 and 103 patients, respectively (total: 256 patients). Demise or thromboembolic events did not occur in either of the groups. The incidence of major bleeding in the EDX and WFR groups was 0.7% and 2.9%, respectively. The total incidence of major/minor bleeding in the EDX and WFR groups was 7.8% and 8.7%, respectively. Of note, the incidence of bleeding complications in the uninterrupted WFR strategy group was markedly high in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <30 (75%) or a HAS-BLED score ≥3 (60%). Patients with eGFR ≥30 and a HAS-BLED score ≤2 had a lower incidence of bleeding (<10%), regardless of the administered anticoagulation drug (EDX or WFR). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the safety and efficacy of uninterrupted anticoagulation therapy using EDX or WFR in real-world patients undergoing CA for AF. Patients with severely impaired renal function and/or a higher bleeding risk during uninterrupted therapy with WFR were at a prominent risk of bleeding. Therefore, particular attention should be paid in the treatment of these patients.