CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) after head injury is a concern among older adult patients on anticoagulation. We evaluated the risk of ICH after an emergency department visit for head injury among patients 65 years and older taking warfarin or a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) compared with patients not taking anticoagulants. We also evaluated risk of 30-day mortality and neurosurgical intervention among patients with ICH. ⋯ Patients on warfarin seen in the emergency department with a head injury had higher relative risks of ICH than matched patients on a DOAC and patients not on anticoagulation, respectively. The risk of ICH for patients on a DOAC was not significantly different compared with no anticoagulation. Further research should confirm that older adults using warfarin are the only group at higher risk of ICH after head injury.
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Apixaban (2.5 mg) taken twice daily has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared with placebo for the primary thromboprophylaxis of ambulatory patients with cancer who are starting chemotherapy and are at intermediate-to-high risk of VTE. We aimed to compare the health system costs and health benefits associated with primary thromboprophylaxis using apixaban with those associated with the current standard of care (where no primary thromboprophylaxis is given), from the perspective of Canada's publicly funded health care system in this subpopulation of patients with cancer over a lifetime horizon. ⋯ We found that apixaban is a cost-saving option for the primary thromboprophylaxis of ambulatory patients with cancer who are starting chemotherapy and are at intermediate-to-high risk of VTE.