Clinical and Economic Outcomes in Low-risk Pulmonary Embolism Patients Treated with Rivaroxaban versus Standard of Care.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Rivaroxaban, a fixed-dose oral direct factor Xa inhibitor, does not require continuous monitoring and thus reduces the hospital stay and economic burden in low-risk pulmonary embolism (LRPE) patients. Study Question What is the effectiveness of rivaroxaban versus the standard of care (SOC; low-molecular-weight heparin, unfractionated heparin, warfarin) among LRPE patients in the Veterans Health Administration? STUDY DESIGN: Adult patients with continuous health plan enrollment for ≥12 months pre- and 3 months post-inpatient PE diagnosis (index date=discharge date) between October 1, 2011-June 30, 2015 and an anticoagulant claim during the index hospitalization were included. MEASURES AND OUTCOMES: Patients scoring 0 points on the simplified Pulmonary Embolism Stratification Index were considered low-risk and were stratified into SOC and rivaroxaban cohorts. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare hospital-acquired complications (HACs), PE-related outcomes (recurrent venous thromboembolism, major bleeding, and death), and healthcare utilization and costs between the rivaroxaban and SOC cohorts. RESULTS: Among 6746 PE patients, 1918 were low-risk; of these, 73 were prescribed rivaroxaban, 1546 were prescribed SOC, and 299 were prescribed other anticoagulants during the index hospitalization. After 13 PSM, 64 rivaroxaban and 192 SOC patients were included. During the index hospitalization, rivaroxaban users (versus SOC) had similar inpatient length of stay (LOS; 7.0 vs 6.7 days, standardized difference [STD]=1.8) but fewer HACs (4.7% vs 10.4%; STD 21.7). In the 90-day post-discharge period, PE-related outcome rates were similar between the cohorts (all p>0.05). However, rivaroxaban users had fewer outpatient (15.9 vs 20.4; p=0.0002) visits per patient as well as lower inpatient ($765 vs $2,655; p<0.0001), pharmacy ($711 vs $1,086; p=0.0033), and total costs ($6,270 vs $9,671; p=0.0027). CONCLUSIONS: LRPE patients prescribed rivaroxaban had similar index LOS and PE-related outcomes, but fewer HACs, and lower total costs than those prescribed SOC.