Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients who did and did not initiate dabigatran use during observation period (June 1, 2011).
| Patient who never initiated dabigatran use | Patients initiating dabigatran use | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new AF Episodes: | N=83,950 | 1,394 (1.7%) | |
| Patient age (years) | |||
| Less than 55 years | 2,044 (2.5%) | 53 (3.8%) | <.001 |
| 55 to less than 65 years | 13,004 (15.8%) | 366 (26.3%) | |
| 65 to less than 75 years | 24,398 (30.0%) | 547 (39.2%) | |
| 75 to less than 85 years | 27,519 (33.3%) | 338 (24.2%) | |
| 85 or older years | 15,591 (18.9%) | 90 (6.5%) | |
| Mean age in years (std dev.) | 74.4 (10.1) | 69.7 (9.0) | <.001 |
| Female, number (%) | 1,158 (1.4%) | 20 (1.4%) | 0.92 |
| Race: White, number (%) | 64,790 (78.5%) | 1,142 (81.9%) | 0.002 |
| Black, number (%) | 6,059 (7.3%) | 78 (5.6%) | |
| Other Non-White, number (%) | 3,833 (4.6%) | 54 (3.9%) | |
| Missing Race | 7,874 (9.5%) | 120 (8.6%) | |
| Distance to nearest VA Medical Center | |||
| Less than 10 miles | 18,884 (22.9%) | 298 (21.4%) | <.001 |
| 10 to less than 30 miles | 23,380 (28.3%) | 373 (26.8%) | |
| 30 to less than 60 miles | 20,819 (25.2%) | 320 (23.0%) | |
| 60 to less than 120 miles | 16,156 (20.0%) | 379 (27.2%) | |
| 120 or more miles | 3,257 (3.9%) | 84 (6.0%) | |
| CHADS2 Score: | |||
| 0 | 4,038 (4.9%) | 91 (6.5%) | <.001 |
| 1 | 17,487 (21.2%) | 331 (23.8%) | |
| 2 | 31,031 (37.6%) | 516 (37.0%) | |
| 3 | 20,766 (25.2%) | 337 (24.2%) | |
| 4 | 6,863 (8.3%) | 81 (5.8%) | |
| 5–6 | 2,471 (3.0%) | 38 (2.7%) | |
| Mean (SD) | 2.21 (1.12) | 2.08 (1.12) | <.001 |
| HAS-BLED | |||
| 0–1 | 12,766 (15.5%) | 110 (7.9%) | 0.04 |
| 2 | 30,168 (36.6%) | 477 (34.2%) | |
| 3 | 24,110 (29.2%) | 370 (26.5%) | |
| 4 + | 15,629 (18.9%) | 317 (22.7%) | |
| Mean (SD) | 2.63 (1.18) | 2.67 (1.23) | 0.14 |
| INR Time in Therapeutic Range | |||
| 00 to 30% | 6348 (7.7%) | 189 (13.6%) | <.001 |
| <30 to 50% | 15028 (18.2%) | 330 (23.7%) | |
| >50 to 80% | 37660 (45.6%) | 589 (42.2%) | |
| >80% | 17440 (21.1%) | 190 (13.6%) | |
| No INR recorded | 6080 (7.4%) | 96 (6.9%) | |
| Mean (SD) INR | 0.57 (0.27) | 0.51 (0.26) | <.001 |
| Warfarin proportion days covered prior 6 months | |||
| < 0.30 | 5137 (6.2%) | 139 (10.0%) | P<.001 |
| 0.30 to <0.60 | 11170 (13.5%) | 164 (11.8%) | |
| 0.60 to <0.90 | 18370 (22.3%) | 284 (20.4%) | |
| >=0.90 | 47879 (58.0%) | 807 (57.9%) | |
| Heart Disease in prior 12 months | |||
| Cardiomyopathy | 8471 (10.3%) | 193 (13.9%) | <.001 |
| Other dysrhythmia | 12663 (15.3%) | 285 (20.5%) | <.001 |
| Heart Failure | 2458 (29.8%) | 475 (34.1%) | <.001 |
| Rheumatic/other valve disorder | 7225 (8.8%) | 102 (7.3%) | 0.03 |
| Prior MI | 3663 (4.4%) | 81 (5.8%) | 0.014 |
| Prior Cardiac Device | 12097 (14.7%) | 231 (16.6%) | 0.045 |
| Any Prior inpatient admission for AFIB | 4390 (5.3%) | 160 (11.5%) | <.001 |
| Key Laboratory values (based on mean value over prior 12 months) | |||
| Kidney function (GFR mL/min/1.73m2) | |||
| Normal GFR or Mild disease (GFR>=60) | 43083 (52.2%) | 904 (64.9%) | <.001 |
| Moderate (GFR 30–59) | 25726 (31.2%) | 326 (23.4%) | |
| Missing | 13747 (16.7%) | 164 (11.8%) | |
| Liver Function (ALT) | |||
| Normal (10–40) | 69346 (84.0%) | 994 (71.3%) | <.001 |
| Abnormal (<10 or >40) | 11916 (14.4%) | 275 (19.7%) | |
| Missing | 10300 (12.5%) | 125 (9.0%) | |