Anticoagulation in addition to dual antiplatelet therapy has no impact on long-term follow-up after endovascular treatment of (sub)acute lower limb ischemia

Summary. Background: To assess the impact of short- vs. long-term anticoagulation in addition to standard dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) upon endovascular treatment of (sub)acute thrombembolic occlusions of the lower extremity. Patient and methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 202 patients with a thrombembolic occlusion of lower extremities, followed by crirical limb ischemia that received endovascular treatment including thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, or a combination of both between 2006 and 2015 at a single center. Following antithrombotic regimes were compared: 1) dual antiplatelet therapy, DAPT for 4 weeks (aspirin 100 mg/d and clopidogrel 75 mg/d) upon intervention, followed by a lifelong single antiplatelet therapy; 2) DAPT plus short term anticoagulation for 4 weeks, followed by a lifelong single antiplatelet therapy; 3) DAPT plus long term anticoagulation for > 4 weeks, followed by a lifelong anticoagulation. Results: Endovascular treatment was associated with high immediate revascularization (> 98 %), as well as overall and amputation-free survival rates (> 85 %), independent from the chosen anticoagulation regime in a two-year follow up, p > 0.05. Anticoagulation in addition to standard antiplatelet therapy had no significant effect on patency or freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR) 24 months upon index procedure for both thrombotic and embolic occlusions. Severe bleeding complications occurred more often in the long-term anticoagulation group (9.3 % vs. 5.6 % (short-term group) and 6.5 % (DAPT group), p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our observational study demonstrates that the choice of an antithrombotic regime had no impact on the long-term follow-up after endovascular treatment of acute thrombembolic limb ischemia whereas prolonged anticoagulation was associated with a nominal increase in severe bleeding complications.