Number needed to treat based on real-world evidence for non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants versus vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation

Figures & data

Figure 1. Number needed to treat at 2 years for non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants vs vitamin K antagonists. Dark bars represent significant results vs vitamin K antagonists. Light bars represent non-significant results. Abbreviations. API, apixaban; DAB, dabigatran; RIV, rivaroxaban.

Table 1. Results of the meta-analysis comparing non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants vs vitamin K antagonists and number needed to treat at 2 years calculation.

Comparison	Relative effect		Risk in the VKA group		NNT2y (CI95%)
	No. of RWE (patients)	HR (CI95%)	Events/100 pts-year	pVKA_2y
Ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism
RIV vs VKA	6 (139,819)	0.79 (0.70–0.88)	2.32	4.5%	107 (75–187)
DAB vs VKA	3 (87,465)	0.89 (0.67–1.19)			204 (NS)
API vs VKA	1 (41,785)	1.01 (0.86–1.18)			−2254 (NS)
Ischaemic stroke
RIV vs VKA	8 (243,165)	0.83 (0.75–0.93)	1.47	2.90%	206 (140–500)
DAB vs VKA	10 (219,508)	0.80 (0.65–0.98)			174 (99–1747)
API vs VKA	4 (65,755)	1.01 (0.87–1.17)			–3,503 (NS)
All-cause mortality
RIV vs VKA	5 (59,077)	0.50 (0.29–0.85)	4.77	9.10%	23 (16–76)
DAB vs VKA	15 (348,597)	0.65 (0.55–0.76)			32 (25–47)
API vs VKA	2 (45,933)	0.32 (0.05–2.08)			16 (NS)
Major bleeding
RIV vs VKA	21 (422,244)	1.05 (0.93–1.18)	4.58	8.8%	−240 (NS)
DAB vs VKA	24 (501,900)	0.80 (0.71–0.91)			59 (41–132)
API vs VKA	7 (109,636)	0.69 (0.63–0.75)			38 (32–47)
Intracranial haemorrhage
RIV vs VKA	10 (317,787)	0.69 (0.52–0.90)	0.80	1.58%	205 (132–637)
DAB vs VKA	14 (509,995)	0.45 (0.36–0.58)			115 (99–151)
API vs VKA	4 (48,963)	0.41 (0.28–0.60)			108 (88–159)

Abbreviations. API, apixaban; CI_95%, 95% confidence interval; DAB, dabigatran; HR, hazard ratio; NNT_2y, number needed to treat at 2 years; NS, not significant; p_{VKA_2y}, proportion of patients with events in the VKA group; RIV, rivaroxaban; RWE, real-world evidence; VKA, vitamin K antagonist.