FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Oral dabigatran etexilate reduces the risk of venous thromboembolism after hip replacement surgery just as effectively as subcutaneous enoxaparin, according to a report published in the Sept. 15 issue of The Lancet.
Bengt I. Eriksson, M.D., of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind study of 3,494 hip replacement patients, of whom 1,157 received 220 mg dabigatran etexilate, 1,174 received a 150 mg dose and 1,162 received 40 mg of subcutaneous enoxaparin once a day for 28 to 35 days.
The primary efficacy outcome was defined as the composite of total venous thromboembolism and death from all causes. After a median treatment period of 33 days, the primary efficacy outcome of all three groups was similar and both drugs produced similar rates of major bleeding. There was no difference between the three groups in terms of frequency of increased liver enzyme concentration or acute coronary events.
"On the basis of the ease of once-daily dosing and there being no need for coagulation monitoring, dabigatran etexilate can be considered to be an attractive alternative to other thromboprophylaxis regimens for patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery," the authors conclude.
This study was sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.
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