Perioperative Heparin Bridging in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Requiring Temporary Interruption of Anticoagulation: Evidence from Meta-analysis

Background Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) often require temporary interruption of warfarin for an elective operation or invasive procedure. However, the safety and efficacy of periprocedural bridging anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin (UH) or low–molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) are still unclear. We evaluated the safety of periprocedural heparin bridging in AF patients requiring temporary interruption of oral anticoagulation. Methods We searched the literature for trials that compared heparin bridging with no bridging in AF patients for whom warfarin was temporarily interrupted. The incidence of all-cause mortality, thromboembolism, and major and all bleeding was included, and meta-analysis was performed. Results A total of 13,808 patients with AF were included in 4 observational studies, 1 randomized trial, and 1 subgroup analysis of a randomized trial. The mean CHADS₂ score for the no heparin bridging group was 2.49 and that for the heparin bridging group was 2.34. At 30 days and up to 3 months, when compared to the heparin bridging group, the no bridging group did not have any significant difference in mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI],.15-11.52; P = .82) or cerebrovascular accidents (OR,.93; 95% CI,.34-2.51; P = .88), but the no bridging group had significantly less major bleeding (OR,.41; 95% CI,.24-.68; P = .0006). Conclusion Among AF patients with intermediate CHADS₂ scores who are anticoagulated with warfarin and who required temporary interruption of warfarin for an elective surgery or procedure, periprocedural bridging with UH or LMWH was associated with a higher rate of major bleeding with no significant difference in mortality or CVA.