Dabigatran as an Alternative Anticoagulant in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

Pilot-Trial: Dabigatran as an Alternative Anticoagulant in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Device

Patients with severe heart failure supported by left ventricular assist device (LVAD) require adequate long-term anticoagulant therapy. New oral anticoagulants such as the direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran may represent an alternative to Coumarin for long-term anticoagulation.

In this pilot single-center study, thirty LVAD patients with stable renal function were scheduled to receive phenprocoumon or dabigatran for long-term anticoagulation after implantation of a HeartWare HVAD system following an open-label balanced parallel group design.

Inclusion Criteria:

• LVAD (HVAD, Heartware Inc., Framingham, MA, USA) implantation more than one month ago
• Stable renal function (clinical judgement)
• Age 18 years or older
• Ability to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe chronic renal impairment (CL<30)
• History of significant thromboembolic events
• Significant bleeding disorder
• HIV or Hepatitis C infection
• Heparin induced thrombocytopenia
• Known hypersensitivity to Dabigatran or Phenprocoumon