Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oral surgery is a frequent invasive procedure in patients on oral anticoagulants. In usual care, the periprocedural management of these patients is questioned, with conflicting guidelines for patients on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of hemorrhagic and thromboembolic events during the periprocedural period (5 days before and 30 days after the oral invasive procedure). METHODS: The PRatiques Anticoagulants oraux DIrects Chirurgie Orale Study (NCT03150303) is a prospective noninterventional national study including patients receiving long-term oral anticoagulants (duration of treatment of at least 1 month) and referred to dental surgeons for an invasive procedure. Hemorrhagic and thromboembolic events and death on days 2, 7, and 30 were reported and analyzed according to anticoagulant management (interruption/continuation). Bleedings were classified according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis classification after blinded review. RESULTS: Overall, between July 2017 and December 2019, 523 patients (mean age 74) were recruited (345 on DOACs and 178 on vitamin K antagonists [VKAs]). During the periprocedural period, 62 events (11.8 events per 100 person-month [PM]) occurred, all local bleedings, in 50 patients (90.3% during the 7 days). The incidence of postoperative bleeding was greater in patients who continued on DOACs compared with patients who continued on VKAs (15.9/100 PM vs 5.9/100 PM; P = .003). Conversely, no significant difference was observed between patients with DOAC discontinuation and patients with VKA continuation (6.2/100 PM vs 5.9/100 PM; P = .75). CONCLUSION: In patients on anticoagulants undergoing an invasive oral procedure, the risk of bleeding occurs mainly within the 7 days following the procedure. Our data suggest the benefit of short perioperative discontinuation of DOACs.