Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Aspirin and Rivaroxaban Following Enoxaparin Treatment for Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism after Hip Fracture Surgery

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of aspirin with rivaroxaban following treatment with enoxaparin for prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after hip fracture surgery (HFS). METHODS: A total of 390 patients were enrolled in the trial. According to an odd or even number at the end of their registration number, the patients were divided into the aspirin group (n = 198) and the rivaroxaban group (n = 192). All patients were given enoxaparin subcutaneous injection after the operation and returned to the routine dose the next day until postoperative day five. The patients in the aspirin group received an additional 16 days of thromboprophylaxis with 100 mg of aspirin once daily. The rivaroxaban group was assigned to receive an additional 16 days of thromboprophylaxis with 10 mg of oral rivaroxaban once daily. Patients were followed for 90 days regarding VTE and bleeding complications. RESULTS: The incidence of VTE in the aspirin group and rivaroxaban group was 6.6% (13/198) and 5.7% (11/192), respectively (P = 0.83). The rate of major bleeding events occurred in two (1.0%) patients in the aspirin group and in one patient (0.5%) in the rivaroxaban group (P = 1.0). A combination of major bleeding and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding occurred in five patients (2.5%) in the aspirin group and in six patients (3.1%) in the rivaroxaban group (P = 0.77). During the 90-day follow-up, a pulmonary embolism developed in one patient (0.5%) in the aspirin group and none in the rivaroxaban group (P = 1.0). CONCLUSIONS: Extended prophylaxis for 21 days with aspirin was equivalent to the direct oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban after hip fracture surgery with an initial 5-day postoperative course of enoxaparin. Aspirin may be an effective, safe, convenient, and cheap alternative for extended prophylaxis after hip fracture surgery.