Ischemic and Bleeding Events After Early Initiation of Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Acute Intracranial Hemorrhage With Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation ― A Multicenter Prospective Registry ―

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of early direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) (re)initiation in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) after acute onset of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) are unknown. This study evaluated ischemic and hemorrhagic risks following early DOAC (re)initiation after ICH in patients with NVAF. METHODS AND RESULTS: SAFE-ICH is a multicenter prospective observational single-arm registry study at 32 Japanese hospitals. Eligible patients had NVAF, were aged ≥20 years, and (re)initiated DOAC ≤14 days following symptomatic ICH. Among 240 patients who (re)initiated DOAC (61.3% male; mean [±SD] age 79.4±9.3 years), intraparenchymal hemorrhage predominated (84.6%), followed by subdural (12.9%), intraventricular (1.7%), and epidural (0.8%) hemorrhage. The median (interquartile range) baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 10 (3-16) and time to DOAC (re)initiation was 7 days (5-10 days). Edoxaban, apixaban, and rivaroxaban were used in 55.0%, 35.8%, and 9.2% of patients, respectively. The primary endpoint (composite of symptomatic ICH, any stroke, or death ≤30 days following DOAC [re]initiation) occurred in 12 (5.0%) patients. There were 4 recurrent ICH events (1.7%; all recurrent subdural hemorrhages). Five (2.1%) patients died of non-vascular causes. CONCLUSIONS: In Japanese patients with NVAF, early DOAC (re)initiation ≤14 days after ICH appears to have an acceptable risk for ischemic and hemorrhagic events, particularly in patients with intraparenchymal hemorrhage. In patients with subdural hematoma, early DOAC (re)initiation requires vigilant monitoring.